baratz/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 Baratz

Born on 24 March 1879 in Iasi, Romania. Father -- a tinsmith. He learned in the cheder of R' Shloimele, the father of "Professor" Horowitz.

At the age of ten he went to his sisters in America and here learned in a public school. Through his sisters' relatives he began to handlen in the Thalia Theatre with Tsukervarg, and followed the path of a theatre "patriot".

Out of a longing for his parents, he returned to Romania, becoming acquainted there with actor Sam Farkoyf in Juvelier's troupe, he was admitted into the troupe. However, his first opportunity came when the troupe of Avraham Akselrad became the director of the troupe. Then B. became a member in the chorus, and he also received small roles. For three years he wandered with the troupe across Galicia, then he acted in Moshe Weinberg's troupe in Berlin, and traveled together with Chona Wolfshtal to Budapest. From here he went back to Akselrad, then again to Wolfshtal's troupe to Berlin.

After his wedding in Tarnow, and after visiting again his parents in Romania, he performed there in Philip Weisenfreund's troupe, but due to military reasons, he fled to America.

Here, through Feinman, he became taken for a season in Philadelphia, acting a winter in the Romanian Opera House in New York, where Thomashefsky arranged a Yiddish vaudeville, then he acted in the vaudeville houses of Kopelman, Eger, Taler, later he toured across the province with legitimate theatre, acting for two seasons with Mike Thomashefsky in Philadelphia, some seasons in Relkin's Metropolitan Theatre in Chicago, and with Gabel, until he again joined in the varieties in New York.

B. is a member of Local 5, and was one of her executive members. In 1914 B. was taken in as a member in the union, and went to guest-star in Europe, but soon as he began to act in Lemberg for Emil Gimpel, the war broke out and he baveyst nokh to America, where he acted for two seasons for Schorr in Philadelphia, individual seasons with Celia Adler, with Glickman in Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, with Goldenburg and Hershl Tsukerberg, then he became an associate partner with Kalich and Feinman for a theatre in Boston, acting for a season in New York's Peoples Theatre with Max Rosenthal, with Goldenburg, Satz and Rosa Karp in the Second Avenue [Theatre].

In 1921 he guest-stared for ten weeks in Buenos Aires, then acted for one season in Cleveland, and in 1922 he returned to Argentina, where he acted for fourteen weeks, and two weeks in Brasilia in 1923 B. acted with Lobel in a cooperative troupe in New York, 1924 -- Chicago, for Glickman, 1925 -- Philadelphia, for Anshel Schorr, 1926 -- Cleveland, where he managed together with M. Novikov, 1927-8 -- Prospect Theatre in New York, 1928-9 -- Rolland Theatre.

M. E.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 1, page 127.