A Smorgasbord of Cultures
"Assimilation" is often spoken of as a desirable aim for immigrants. But that word doesn't really describe what happens when cultures mix in New York, where--as a local comedian famously observed--one can sometimes hear Yiddish and French spoken in the same sentence. Perhaps this phenomenon is what the noted director Lloyd Richards had in mind when he stated, regarding ethnic diversity in American theatre, that the goal should be "not one of assimilation, but of respectful, cultural interaction."
Following is an extensive--but by no means exhaustive--survey of New York's ethnic theatre companies. Back Stage would like to hear from any such groups not included here.
ETHNIC THEATRE IN NEW YORK
Jewish Theatre
By Irene Backalenick
From the turn of the century to the 1930s, New York's Jewish theatre thrived. With numerous Lower East Side theatres, beloved stars, and wildly enthusiastic audiences, this was indeed the Golden Age of Yiddish Theatre. But, in time, children of the earlier generation turned to mainstream entertainment; and, with the onset of World War II, the pool of Yiddish-speaking immigrants evaporated. An era had ended.
Today, Jewish theatre is once more ascendant. In our multi-ethnic society, with its emphasis on ethnic pride, the yearning for Jewish identity grows apace. To meet that need, Jewish theatres have sprung up both in New York City and around the country. A new Golden Age has emerged, but its theatres differ markedly from those of the past. Productions are mostly in English, and the educated, sophisticated audiences are decidedly part of mainstream society.
New York now has four Jewish companies. The Jewish Repertory Theatre and the American Jewish Theatre, both launched in 1974, are well-established Equity companies that have gained wide acclaim. The Folksbiene, the oldest operating Jewish theatre in the country, continues to perform in Yiddish. (It is the only one of our four companies to do so--though, in a concession to today's audiences, it offers simultaneous translations in English and Russian.) The Jewish Theater of New York--founded less than two years ago--is the new kid on the block, operating under an Equity showcase contract in a small Soho space shared with other Off-Off-Broadway companies.
All of these groups depend heavily on box-office receipts and private contributions; public and corporate funding are in short supply, they say. While the four theatres share the same mission--namely, to present the Jewish experience on stage--each defines that mission differently.
SUB: Assimilation vis-ˆ-vis Cultural Preservation
The Folksbiene, with its mandate to preserve the Yiddish language and culture, offers only Yiddish plays and musicals (adaptations and originals). Yiddish presents no problem to the company's young actors, many of whom understand the language even if they cannot speak it well. "Maybe they don't pronounce properly, but they learn," says Elyse Frymer, Folksbiene's manager, "and an actor can perform in any language.''
The Jewish Repertory Theatre's mission has remained constant for 23 years. But the milieu itself has changed, according to Ran Avni, JRT's founder and artistic director. "The whole idea of Jewishness has become more vague," he says. "Jewishness is trying to find itself and to look for forms and meanings that are not necessarily associated with the immigrant experience, or Yiddish or religious affiliation. People are looking for theatre related to their own lives, dealing with such issues as assimilation. We still have the same mission to explore the Jewish experience, but what is taking different shades is the Jewish experience itself."
Stanley Brechner, founder and artistic director of the American Jewish Theatre, views his company's mission as not only to provide excellent, relevant material, but to increase cross-cultural understanding. "There is a tradition of Jewish theatre brought to this country by a community seeking religious tolerance after thousands of years of not belonging," he says. "There is a sensibility and an ethos which, if properly transmitted to a wider audience, makes for an enormous contribution to our mutual understanding of one another."
Tuvia Tenenbom, founder and artistic director of the newly launched Jewish Theater of New York, feels his company offers a genuine take on the Jewish experience. "People want to see this culture, and they can't see it in "The Sunshine Boys." We are filling a niche, doing really Jewish plays."
But others also consider their offerings to be "really Jewish plays." As Brechner points out, "I don't care if a playwright is Jewish or not. But you have to sense that a play is well written, and relevant. There are plays I read that are well written but irrelevant to the Jewish experience. Other times, a play will be less well written, but enormously relevant. Our purpose is to find works that do not necessarily answer the questions they pose, but make you uncomfortable with what happens."
SUB: Coming Attractions
Finding appropriate plays is not easy, and at times the theatres' choices have been questionable. But selections for the upcoming season appear to be on target. The young JTNY, for example, has happened upon a remarkable project, to which it has acquired the rights.
"It's a reading of genuine love letters to Adolph Hitler," says Tenenbom. "After World War II, an American soldier found these letters in the Reichchancellary [Nazi headquarters in Berlin]. They were written by German women to Hitler, expressing their love for him." The plan is to keep the letters unembellished, so they may speak for themselves. "This will be a performance piece, with several actors on stage representing the 40 women. And we'll include video clips from the Holocaust." The piece will be offered in December.
Jewish Repertory Theatre opens its season in October with a new musical comedy titled "The 11th." According to Avni, "it's about a famous, 4,000-year search for the 11th commandment."
The Folksbiene's 81st season will offer "The Maiden of Ludmir," an original play by Miriam Hoffman dealing with the life of a 19th-century Torah scholar--a woman. The story is "well-documented" and the woman was "way ahead of her time," says Frymer.
AJT's season includes a revival of the musical "So Long, 174th Street" (adapted from Carl Reiner's novel) and three straight plays on Jewish themes: "Anne Frank and Me," "Yiddle With a Fiddle" (based on the Molly Picon film), and "Two Suitcases" by Barbara Damashak.
As to audiences, all four companies--particularly the Folksbiene--attract mostly (but not entirely) Jewish theatregoers. Tenenbom says that his production of "Like Two Eagles," a story of Palestinian-Israeli lovers, drew a crossover audience. "It attracted Jews and non-Jews of liberal persuasion."
SUB: A Pervasive Influence
But these resident theatres do not tell the whole story; Jewish theatre pervades New York. Such Jewish performing artists as Tovah Feldshuh, Avi Hoffman, and Jackie Mason are much in evidence. And plays that feature Jewish themes, characters, or playwrights surface everywhere.
The problem lies in defining Jewish theatre. Is a play Jewish because it deals with the Holocaust? Because it features a Jewish character? Because its author is Jewish? Because it is presented by a Jewish repertory company? Most often, the lines are blurred. Younger Jewish writers like Donald Margulies, Jon Robin Baitz, Tony Kushner, and Carol Braverman are impacting on the theatre scene, though not necessarily with Jewish messages. Most will say they are American playwrights who happen to have been born Jewish. Yet honest playwrights cannot cast off their roots, and ethnic background finds its way willy-nilly into their work.
Hence, Jewish theatre in New York is a much broader phenomenon than can be clearly delineated. But it is the four resident companies profiled here which keep the fla