Arrived from
the former Palestine to Perth, the main city of
Western Australia, where he had in the span of
1913 until 1928 he staged with the local
amateurs the plays:
The amateur group
with which Mr. Berenson had directed, had a
presidium season long, which was headed by Rabbi
Fridman and Mr. Mayzel, who had assisted the
theatre group many times. In the summer time in
Perth, he almost didn't perform, but in the span
of the remaining eight to nine months, there was
given two offerings, which were mostly for
charitable purposes.
The new wave of
immigrants to Australia in the years 1928-30 had
increased a little the Jewish community in
Perth, and a part of the new immigrants, not
being pleased with the existing amateur circle,
founded later an amateur circle, which staged:
Thereafter both
amateur groups united under the name
"Yiddish-Hebrew Bimah, Perth", and staged:
-
"Kuni lemel"
-
"Dos yidishe
harts"
-
"Mishke un
moshke"
-
"Der umbakanter"
-
"Kol Nidre"
-
"Semke in
amerike"
Then the group again
disbanded, and the division founded a new group
under the name "Fareynikte dramatishe kompanye",
and staged:
-
"Chasia the
Orphan"
-
"Zhidovka"
-
Shloimke un rikl"
-
"Shabat kodesh"
-
"Di shikhith"
-
"Miss Hoflia"
-
"Der blinder
moler"
-
"Tsipke feyer"
-
"Der vilder
mentsh"
Thanks to the
efforts of Mr. Brekler and Reverend Grochovski,
both groups again united and had staged:
Also there was
staged a series of one-acters in concert
evenings with recitations, singing and scenes.
Outside of Berenson
as a theatre director, one must also mention
that as a theatre director (regisseur), there
was Mr. Toy(?) and in musical parts, Reverend
Grochovski
The active members
were: the women: Berernson, Gotlib an McKay(?),
and the mothers: Berenson, Toy, Blank, Epstein.
and Grochovski.
In his return trip
from Brazil to Australia, the actor Jacob
Weislitz set down in 1940 in Perth, and he gave
two word concerts and staged with a circle
Sholem Aleichem's "200,000".
-
Chaim
Rozenshteyn -- Yidish teater in oystralye, "Tsvayter
oystralish-yidisher almanakh", Melbourne,
1942, pp. 324-326.