|
Vera
Zaslavskaya
|
Born in the village Harbi,
Kremenchug oyezd, Kherson Gubernia, Ukraine. Her
family moved over to Yelisavetgrad, where she learned in
a gymnasium. There she came out to perform with the
students in Ukrainian, and she caught the attention of
the director of the Ukrainian troupe, Krepovnizky, who
engaged her in his troupe.
Z.'s first performed in "Natalka
Poltavka". Against her parents' wishes, she toured with
the troupe across Russia, until they came to Kiev, where
due to passport difficulties, she left the troupe and
turned back for home.
After some months when
Fishzon came to Yelisavetgrad, whose troupe she wanted
to enter, after Z.'s parents were against it. However,
she steered them(?) to the stage and fled to Berdichev
to Fishzon's troupe.
But as she did not know any
Yiddish, she sang only Ukrainian songs in the
"divertissements". Throughout that time she learned
Yiddish from Fishzon, and she performed as "Mirele" in
Goldfaden's "Kishufmakherin", a short time later also in
other main roles.
For several years Z. toured
with the troupe, together with Fokusnikes and
Kuntsnmakher, acting in various places, such as in
stations and factories, until in 1902 when Fishzon
became licensed to play "Yiddish-German theatre", and Z.
became popular in Russia as a prima donna. |
|
 |
|
In 1903 Z. married the actor
Misha Fishzon, and began to perform in Gordin's
repertoire as a dramatic actress.
In 1905 Z. guest-starred in
Lemberg and later in Warsaw until 1908, when she became,
together with Misha Fishzon, engaged to America to
Kessler in a theatre, where she acted for a short time
and then returned to Russia, acting in Peterburg,
Moscow, Kiev, Baku and Kharkov, most of the time in
dramatic repertoire. 1917 -- Z. acted again in
Peterburg, 1918 -- in Odessa, where she became a member
of the "Odessa Jewish State Theatre".
In 1921 she acted together
with her husband in Romania in "Yiddish muster un
kunst-teater", in 1923 guest-starring with him across
Poland, France and England, and at the end of the same
year she arrived in America.
In 1924 Z. became engaged in
the Yiddish theatre in Detroit, where she acted until
1928, when she went to Europe and guest-starred in
Vienna and Romania, together with Misha Fishzon in
dramatic and operetta repertoire. 1929-30 -- Z. acted in
Brooklyn's Lyric Theatre.
Sh. E.
-
B. Gorin -- "History
of Yiddish Theatre", Vol. II, p. 211.
-
Noakh Prilutski -- "Yidish
teater", Bialystok, 1921, Vol. II, p. 86.
-
Dr. A. Mukdoni --
Zikhrunus fun a yidishn teater-kritiker, "Archive",
pp. 346-49.
|
|