Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"

1931-1969
 

Miriam Elias
 

 

E. was born --according to her-- in 1897 in Zhvanets, near Kamenets Podolsk, Ukraine.

Her father was the local rabbi in the span of some ten years.

After finishing a folkshul and the Hebrew Talmud Torah, E. settled into her studies in Hebrew and in a gymnasium in Kamenets Podolsk.

While in her younger years, Moshe Richter staged in her birth town "Hertsele myukhs", in which she also acted. Then she directed a Yiddish dramatic club until she entered into a Russian professional troupe.

In 1916 she went to Moscow and entered into a Hebrew troupe "Habima", where she performed as "Khanan" in Anski's "Der dybuk (The Dybbuk)", and at the same time she learned privately with Stanislavski and Vakhtangov.

In 1923 she came to America, and made a concert tour across the land and afterwards became one of the chief performers in the "Unzer Theatre" in New York, where she debuted as "The Rabbi's Wife" in Anski's "Tog un nakht (Day and Night)".

 

In 1925-26 she was engaged by the Yiddish Art Theatre (Director -- Schwartz), where she acted in Zhulasky's "Shabtai tsvi", Toller's "Hinkemann (The Bloody Laughter)", Peretz Hirshbein's "Der shmids tekhter (The Blacksmith's Daughters)", Sholem Asch's "A shnirl perl (A String of Pearls)" and S. Yushkevich's "Der luft mentsh (The Air Head?)".

In 1928-29 she again acted with the Yiddish Art Theatre, and here among the other roles she performed were:
"Der magid (The Preacher)" in Asch-Schwartz's "Kidush Hashem", and as "Pesenyu (Pesse)" in Schwartz's modernization of Gordin's "God, Man and Devil".

On 11 January 1927 E. (together with Baruch Aronson) directed with the "Kunst-Ring" in the "Dos naye yidishe art teater (New Yiddish Art Theatre)" Moishe Nadir's "Di tragedye fun gornist (The Tragedy of Nothing)".

In 1930 she traveled to Europe on a concert tour, while at the same time performing in an English recitation evening in London, returning to New York in 1931.

E. was the wife of painter Baruch Aronson.
 

Sh. E.

  • G. Rivesman -- Zi hot zikh oysgetseykent in dem hebreishen theater in moskva, "Forward", N. Y., 23 September 1923.

  • Dr. A. Mukdoni -- Velt-berihmtheyten, "Morning Journal", N. Y., 4 April 1924.

  • Ab. Kahan -- A por teater-notitsen, "Forward", N. Y., 12 December 1924.

  • G. Buchwald -- Poetisher katshenyomer gemisht mit teater, "Frayhayt", N. Y., 14 January 1927.

  • Dr. A. Mukdony -- "Di tragedye fun gornisht", "Morning Journal", N. Y., 21 January 1927.

  • M. R. -- Di feyerlekhe YIVO-akademye in varshever shotrat, "Literarishe bleter", Warsaw, N' 52, 1929.

  • Herman Svet -- Der kontsert fun miryam elias, "Literarishe bleter", Warsaw, N' 50, 1929.

  • Ch. Shk. [Shklarski] -- Kontsert fun miryam elias, "Idishe shtime", Kovno, 24 February 1930.

  • Arin [Z. Troyb] -- Miryam elias, dort, 26 February 1930.

  • Natan Grinblat -- Ir ntskhun, dort, 4 March 1930.

  • Asel -- Tsveyter oyftrit fun miryam elias, "Folksblat", Kovno, 6 March 1930.

  • V. Latzky-Bertholdi -- Di kunst fun idishkeyt, "Frimorgn", Riga, 1 March 1930.

  • Sh. Kolodovski -- Ver iz miryam elias?, "Tsayt", London, 16 July 1930.

  • Morris Meyer -- Miryam elias kontsert in globe teater, "Tsayt", London, 20 July 1930.

  • Moris Meyer -- Miryam elias kinstlerisher triumf oyf dem kontsert in pavilion teater, "Tsayt", London, 30 July 1930.

  • D. Kaplan -- Miryam elias es dramatisher risitel in "litl teater", "Forward", N. Y., 21 April 1931.

  • B. Y. Goldstein -- America and Europe, "Fraye arbeter shtime", N. Y., 24 April 1931.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 2, page 1568.
 

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