ABOUT YIDDISH THEATRE ENSEMBLE
“We believe that through the vitality of live theater, the rich cultural legacy of Yiddish and its literature will continue to thrive.”
Mission
Yiddish Theatre Ensemble (YTE) is dedicated to producing the rich, rarely performed repertory of Yiddish dramas, musicals, operettas, and comedies from the past 150 years in English translation. YTE also develops and produces new and original works by living artists, and presents staged readings, lectures, and workshops to engage the community. YTE strives to bring a contemporary approach and relevance to all productions while staying true to the essence of the original scripts.
Production History
Laura Sheppard, producer and Bruce Bierman, director and co-artistic directors, have collaborated for more than a decade to create community-based productions in affiliation with fiscal sponsor KlezCalifornia. Their first successes included the popular Yiddish musical Di Megileh of Itzik Manger, produced for the Jewish Music Festival (March 2014 and February 2015). They were co-producers and artistic directors for KlezCalifornia’s Cabaret by the Bay (2016, 2017).
During the Covid lockdown, YTE developed the award-winning film adaptation of God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch viewed online from March 2021- May, 2021.The English translation by Caraid O’Brien incorporated extensive Yiddish language and expressions. This unique production featured a cast of 17 actors, and an original score by Klezmer musician/ composer David Rosenfeld. Graphic digital backdrops were created by production designer Jeremy Knight. The productions received a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle award and commendation for distinguished work.
With the success of God of Vengeance, San Francisco Playhouse invited YTE to co-produce the Tony Award-winning Broadway play Indecent by Paula Vogel, directed by Susi Damilano for a Bay Area premiere September to November, 2022. YTE consulted on casting, music, dramaturgy, Yiddish dance and marketing.This show received six awards from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle including Best Bay Area Show and Best San Francisco Show.
More recently, YTE produced Between Worlds, an original theater piece conceived and written by veteran playwright and actor, Naomi Newman. The script was based on the poetry and life of child Holocaust survivor, political activist, and lesbian poet Irena Klepfisz. The play, created by an ensemble of actors and musicians, premiered in August 2023 at the Live Oak Theater, Berkeley, to sold-out audiences.
YTE initiated a Play Reading Series for a first-time collaboration with The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life in Berkeley on June 23, 2024. This staged dramatic reading of On the Road to Zion by Sholem Asch featured a new English translation by Caraid O’Brien. The reading was free to the public and provided an opportunity for audiences to hear and experience this play in its first public performance. The reading engaged a cast of 15 professional actors and emerging talents.
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Would you like to volunteer? Be in touch! info@yiddishtheatre-ensemble.org or call Laura Sheppard (510) 205-0445