In the Spring of 1923 he
arrived in America, and staged with "Kunst-vinkl" to the
Avraham Reyzen innovations in "Madison Square Garden" a
"dramatization of Reyzen's 'Der prush,' and in "Heckscher
Foundation Theatre Peretz's "Der din Toyre mit'n vint"
and David Kassel's "Shnayelekh."
From 1923 until 1927 P.
directed with the "Newark(?) Dramatic Circle." During
this time he also staged in New York's "Irving Place
Theatre" Moishe Nadir's "Sarah'tshe," with the author as
narrator.
Working as a teacher in the
"Sholem Aleichem School 2," which had possessed its own
theatre auditorium for several hundred attendees, P.
staged there about forty children's plays and mass-shpiln,
most of the time by himself composing the dramatizations
of Peretz and Sholem Aleichem, as well as translations
of American and European children's repertoire.
He also directed with the "Maskn-shpiler,"
a dramatic group of professionals, semi-professionals,
and members of "Kunst-ring," which had performed that
month small plays by Yiddish playwrights.
In 1930 P. put on in
"Carnegie Hall" to Yehoash's first anniversary
dramatizations of Yehoash. He migrated in the same year
over to Calgary, Canada, where he was principal of the
local I. L. Peretz Institute, and there he managed for
three years with a dramatic circle, which each month
gave productions, and besides that four children's
operettas a year with the participation of the
schoolchildren.
Since 1936 P. has been found
in Chicago as a teacher of the local "Workmen's Circle"
School. Besides the four times a year he stages
children's productions for his school, there he had in
the year 1941 put on his own pageant, "Der boym un di
keyt," with the participation of two hundred
schoolchildren. In 1944, for the twenty-fifth jubilee of
the "Workmen's Circle" school, he staged his pageant,
"In gang fun tsayt," with the participation of three
hundred children.
He also staged with youths:
Sholem Aleichem's "Tuviye der milkhiger," "Menschen,"
and "Farbitn di yutsrus," Peretz's "Shvester," "Der
shabes-goy," "Venus un Shulamis," and "Musr," and Peretz
Hirschbein's "Oyfn shvel," "Funken" and "Agronomen."
Being dramatic director for
five years in the "Mirth Colony" in new York and later
four summers in Chicago's "Workmen's Circle" Camp, P.
put on four large concerts with children and five with
adults.
He also was regisseur for
the "Frayhayt Dramatic Section," the nucleus of the
permanent "Artef."
P. even staged in New York
and in Chicago his own plays: "New Year," "Lialkes," "A
fraylekher purim," "Yehuda Hamaccabi" (music by Leo
Stein), ""Shir hashirim," "Ruth," "Rosh Hashana," "Uncle
Sam" -- a masn-shpil, "Di naye tsayt" -- singing
play, "Chone and his Seven Sons" -- a doll-play, "Di
farblondzhshete" -- an operetta in two acts, "Hitler's
khoylem" -- a grotesque-play in two acts, "Dos eybike
likht" -- a singing play in one act, "Tsvishn hunger un
toyt" -- pageant, as well as the dramatizations: "Khprus,"
"Bas kenig akhshurush" and "Motl peyses in amerike,"
according to Sholem Aleichem, "A klezmers toyt" in one
act, according to I. L. Peretz, and "Sar bat tuvim" in
three scenes, according to I. L. Peretz.
P.'s published plays and
dramatizations:
[1] Sholem Aleichem, Khprus
(Der hiner-shtreyk), dramatized by A. Pravatiner,
[published in "Kinder zhurnal," N. Y., November 1924,
pp. 11-18].
[1a] Sholem Aleichem, Der
hiner-shtryk, dramatized by A. Pravatiner, Vilna,
Publisher "Naye yidishe folkshul," 1928 [32°, 29 pp.].
[1b] Der hiner-shtryk, by
Sholem Aleichem, dramatized by A. Pravatiner, in 1 act
with a prologue and epilogue. [published in the book
"Yom-tov-piesn" by A. Pravatiner. Publisher "Arbeter-velt,"
Chicago, 1943, pp. 121-136.
[2] Bam kinig akhshurush, a
Purim-play in two scenes with a prologue, by Sholem
Aleichem, dramatized by A. Pravatiner, [published in
"Kinder zurnal," N. Y., February 1930, pp. 2-7].
[3] A. Pravatiner, Lialkes,
(a Purim-play in one act with a forshpil.)
[published in "Kinder zhurnal," N. Y., February 1934,
pp. 1-4.]
[3a] Lialkes, [published in
the book "Tsvey Purim-shpiln," Chicago, 1938, Publisher
M. Tseshinsky, pp. 3-12].
[3b] A. Pravatiner, Lialkes,
a Purim-shpil in 1 act, [published in the book "Yom-tov-piesn,"
Publisher "Arbeter-velt," Chicago, 1943, pp. 35-46].
[4] A. Pravatiner, Nay-Yor,
a fantastical play (in one act), [published in "Kinder-zhurnal,"
N. Y., Aug.-Sep. 1934, pp. 13-16].
[4a] A. Pravatiner, Rosh
Hashana [Nay-Yor], a fantastical play in 1 act,
[published in the book "Yom-Tov-piesn," Publisher
"Arbeter-velt," Chicago, 1943, pp. 109-119].
[5] A freylekher Purim, a
comedy i one act, [published in "Kinder-zhurnal," N. Y.,
February 1936, pp. 1-5].
[5a] A freylekher Purim,
[published in the book "Tsvey Purim-shpiln," Chicago,
1938, Publisher M. Tseshinsky, pp. 13-24].
[6] A. Pravantiner, Yehuda
Hamaccabi, a historical operetta in three acts by A.
Pravantiner, music by Leo Stein, Publisher M. Tseshinsky,
Chicago, 1939, [24 pp.]
[6a] A. Pravantiner, Yehuda
Hamaccabi, a historical operetta in 3 acts, [published
in the book "Yom-tov-piesn," Publisher "Arbeter-velt,"
Chicago, 1943, pp. 9-33].
[7] A. Pravantiner, Shlomo
and Shulamis (Shir Hashirim), a historical song-play in
3 acts and 4 scenes, [published in ghe book "Yom-tov-piesn,"
pp. 47-77].
[8] A. Pravantiner, Ruth, a
biblical song-play in three acts and four scenes ["Yom-tov-piesn",
pp. 79-108].
Sh. E. |