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
 

Yiddish Dramatic School

On the initiative of Dr. M. Weichert in 1922, with the assistance of the Yiddish Arts Union and the Yiddish school organization, there was founded the "Yididshe dramatishe shul (Yiddish Dramatic School)" in Warsaw. When the Artists Union soon withdrew, the Yiddish school organization materially supported the dramatic school. Teachers in the school were: Dr. M Weichert, Sh. Kazhdan, Sh. Mendelson, Tatsiana Wisotska, the musician  Hirshin, and Dr. Frendler. In the second year of study there was David Herman and Dr. Shiper. For a certain time the actor Wolf Zilberberg also taught (there), as well as Zygmunt Turkow and Wm. Godik.

Besides there were invited as special lecturers for the whole cycle the Polish activist Limanovski, and the Polish actor Alexander Zelverovicz.

In the programs of the school they taught: diction, declamation, acting, dramaturgy, Yiddish language and literature, rhythm and plastics and history of the Yiddish theatre.

The school existed for two years and graduated a group of twenty students. Twelve of the graduates then became members in the best Yiddish troupes (David Birnbaum, Zalmen Hirshfeld, Sini Weinstock, Avraham Wolfshtat, Mansdorf, Melnik, Poznanski, Potashinski, Pearl Kon, Yakov Kurlender, Batsheba Kramarzh and Manya Rapel) and two (Breyzblat and M. Perenson) directed with dramatic circles.

Under the direction of David Herman (for the first time) there was staged Peretz's "Night at the Old Marketplace" and "Sisters", Peretz Hirshbein's "Green Fields", and "Eliyahu Hanovi", Anski's "Dybbuk", and under the direction of Dr. Weichert, parts of Toller's "Mase mentsh". The group performed in Warsaw and in a series of large cities in Poland.

The school, which was concessioned through an arts department of  the Polish Education Ministry, closed in 1924 due to a lack of material resources.

  • Dr. Michael Weichert -- Dray yor yidishe teater-studye, "Vokhnshrift", Warsaw, 27, 1932.

  • Ber Y. Rozen -- 10 yor yidishe dramatishe shul, "Vokhnshrift", Warsaw, 7, 1933.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 2,  page 942.
 

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