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
 

LIDA
(Lodz Yiddish Dramatic Actors)
 

Founded in 1912 in Lodz, Poland, through Zalmen Zylbercweig. Consisted of a group of "amateurs" who also used to attract to their productions professional actors. During the wartime "Lida" was transformed into a professional itinerant troupe, which performed Yiddish and Hebrew.

On 9 November 1912 in Lodz's "Hazamir", under the direction of Z. Zylbercweig, there was staged "A mame, a tragedy in three acts by M. Kuznitski, translated by Z. Zylbercweig", and "Der shloflozer" by M. Frankental.

On 16 August 1913 in Lodz's Polish theatre, under the direction of Z. Zylbercweig, there was staged in his translation Sven Lange's three-act tragi-comedy "Samson and Delilah" ("Peter" -- Zalmen Zylbercweig, "Dagma" -- Gitl Zoritska).

In August 1913 in Lodz's Polish theatre, under the direction of H. Yedvab, there was staged in Joel Entin's translation Ibsen's "Di gayster (The Spirit)" ("Madam Alving" -- Leah Neomi, "Regina" -- Gitl Zaritska, "Osvald" -- Zalmen Zylbercweig, "Pastor Manders" -- Leib Nirenberg, "Yakob Engstrand" -- H. Yedvab).

On 10 February 1915 in Lodz's Skala Theatre, under the direction of Benny Rosenbaum, there was staged Leon Kobrin's four-act drama "Der dorfsiung" (Yankel Boile), with Z. Zylbercweig ("Yankl Boile") and Miriam ("Natasha"). The play was then very often performed across the Polish province.

On 20 May 1915 in Lodz's "Thalia" Theatre, under the direction of Benny Rosenbaum, there was staged Dr. A. Markov's translation of L. Tolstoy's "Makht fun finsternish (The Power of Darkness)".

On 26 January 1918 in Zgerzh, under the direction of the author, there was staged Zalmen Zylbercweig's play "A lebn on libe".

Outside of this there was staged "Khasia di yetoyme (Chasia the Orphan)" by Gordin, "Zhidovka (Jewess)" by Skrib, and the one-acters "Di etsh" and "Agentn" by Sholem Aleichem, "Aktor" by Paula R., "Der meshugener in shpitol" by N. Dramov. "Mayn vaybs meshugenus" by Mark Arnstein, "Di tsvey toybe" (adapted by N. and Z. Zylbercweig), "Herkules (Hercules)" by Beli (translated by Z. Zylbercweig), and "Ahasver" by Heman Heyermans (translated by I. L. Cohen).

From the Hebrew repertoire there was performed:

"Hanusim bsfrd" by Alihv, "Hmshuge bvit hkhulim" by N. Dranov, (translated by Zalmen Zylbercweig), "Hetsh" by Sholem Aleichem, (translated by M. Efruni), "Hbtln hmshuge" by I. L. Peretz, "Dovid Melekh Yisrael" by Tsvi Ben-Yakov [Zylbercweig], and "Hsukhnim" by Sholem Aleichem, (translation by Tsvi Ben-Yakov).

Participating in the Yiddish and Hebrew productions were:
Men -- Wolf Amzel, Tsvi Bresler, Yosef Bekher (Kus), Yakov Goldstein, M. Gurevitsh, Yosef Grinberg, Melekh Dorfeyn, Moshe-Dovid Hamburski, Zafran, Zalmen Zylbercweig, Nathan Zylbercweig, Michal Zhukoborski, Menenbaum, B. Yoselevitsh, Hershl Yedvab, Yehudah Mirtenbaum, Yehuda Markhevka, Rafael Malegold, L. Nirenberg, Chaim Erdberg, Moshe Pasternak, Gustav Korn, Reznik, Benny Rosenbaum, Yitzhak Rozenblat and David Sherman.
Women -- Tsesha eyzen Beile Ariel, Braginska, Bronia Gotlibovska-Gotlib, Gitl Zaritska, Zander-Zayontshkovska, Miriam [Zylbercweig], Etel Markevka, Anna Natan, Leah Neomi and Shviatla.
 

  • Zalmen Zylbercweig -- "Hintern forhang", Vilna, 1928, pp. 170-207.

  • M. P. [Platt] -- Hebraisher Abend, "Deutsche Lodzer Zeitung", 5 May 1915.

  • M. P. -- "Thalia"-Theater, "Deutsche Lodzer Zeitung", 22 May 1915.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 2, page 1045.
 

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