ziegler/maurice

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

Maurice Ziegler
(Moshe Belzer/Morits Siegler)

He was born in 1879 in Iasi, Romania.

He learned in the city Yiddish school and sang as a soprano in the temple. When Mogulesko stood [unoyf] the chorus for his troupe, the theatre acting also gave S. a tremendous ovation--he got together several friends (Sam Rozenshteyn, Yosele Sherman et al) and went out with his Goldfaden's "Ahasuerus", acting alone in the role "Esther".

S. went afterwards to Falticeni and performed with Segalesko's troupe. A short time later, S. went over to Axelrad's troupe in Iasi's Pomul Verde, where he acted for two years, also touring with his troupe across Austria. Afterwards S. toured with Juvelier in Iasi and later with Goldfaden, participating in his productions of "Moshiakhs tsaytn(Time of the Messiah)" and in the premiere of "Ekdt yitzhok (The Sacrifice of Isaac)" in Galats.

Around 1899 S. also directed for a short time a small troupe (Motel Goldring and his wife, Avraham Zilberman, Yoszef Eskreyn, et al), who acted during the summer with Bleykhman, Sam Adler and later with Sigmund and Reyna Feinman. Afterwards S. was for a certain time with a German theatre in Austria and worked with Itsikl Goldenberg in the Bucharest Jignitza, while engaged at the same time in commerce. Around 1908 S. acted with Axelrad in Czernowitz, and from there he went to Edelhafer in Vienna.

But the concession that Edelhafer had was only for a "sing-act-company" variety. Yiddish theatre at that time was forbidden to Hurwitz's troupe by the local Yiddish representative. S. performed the play under the guise of one-acters, which also was monitored by vaudeville numbers[?]. After a few years acting that open, S. received a concession to act in Yiddish theatre, and he established his troupe, which was known as "Yudishe bine (Judische Buhne/Yiddish Stage)" (in the Hotel Stefanie Taborstrasse), guest-starring during the summer season in Marienbad, Frantsensbad, Prague, Czernowitz et al.

S. was the first to put on in the Vienna Yiddish theatre the plays of Gordin, and also the initiatives of Isik Lyubetsky and Jacob Mestel. He also later acted in the plays of Asch, Hirshbein, et al.

S. was a co-founder of the company "Der fraye yidishe folksbine (The Free Jewish People's Theatre)" and participated in their productions.

In 1920 S. founded an itinerant troupe (he and his wife), with their three children and the late Moshe Pastor, and other actors.

S. was a member of the Rumanian Parlance Committee for the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre".

Sh. E. and Sh. E. from Jacob Mestel.

Jacob Kirschenbaum -- A trehr oyf dem frishen kbr fun shoyshpiler samuel rozenshteyn, "Morning Journal", N. Y., 3 February 1930.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 1, page 768.