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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