vardi/david

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

David Vardi
(Rozenfeld)

V. was born on 13 July 1893 in Volochisk, Volin.

He learned in a cheder, and after as a child considered the [lyalkes: legales], which he also used to act the [iridim] in the shtetl, later he participated in the cheder-[mtukn] in the Hebrew children's production honoring Hanukkah and Purim and [nakhgemakht] the guest-starring Ukrainian actors. At the age of twelve he gave Hebrew lessons and went away to his grandfather in Alt-Konstantin, where he participated in the "Young Culture Club" a. d. g.

In 1910 he performed in the [ifuer] Hebrew gymnasium, and there participated in the Hebrew amateur production as one of the directors of "Vedt chkhzyunut", and also often performed in some humoresques and with productions in Hebrew and Yiddish stories.

He returned in 1914 to Russia to his parents, where there V. was captured during the war. Afterwards he went around in various cities with some "ovntn", he went to Moscow, and went around with the first [gegriniter] "Habima", where he acted until 1923 (performing, etc., in "Dybuk" as "Tsadik"), co-directing with Metshedelov in Pinski's "Eybiker yid"; assistant director with Vakhtangov in "Dybuk" and at the same time was the director for the troupe "Khhufya".

In October 1923 V. made a tour across Lettland (Latvia), Lithuania, Estonia and the Land of Israel with several "ovntn", and in April 1924 V. came to America, where he went around several times with his programs. In 1925 he performed with the "Unzer teater", and after the theatre closed, V. went back again to "ovntn" across Canada and America.

In 1925 V. also led together with Alsberg Anski's "Dybuk", also English at the Neighborhood Playhouse, and later with other personnel in other states. In 1927 he founded together with Chava Yoalit a theatre studio with their name, which put on various offerings.

V. also together with Yoalit composed the [masn-spiel: public play?] ""Di khlutsim" (directed in 1927 in Newark), and "Dos heymishe shtetl" (performed on 21 April 1928 in New York's Mekatempl?) and adapted Ankh's drama "Di gildene pave".

Sh. E.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 1, page 348.