Dress British, Think Yiddish (Theater)

Through the wonders of social media I recently made the acquaintance of playwright/journalist/historian/mid-western Jew of all trades, Max Sparber. Max has an extremely impressive list of produced plays and publications, so I was flattered when he asked if he could read my play, A Brokhe/A Blessing. We got to talking about the challenges of creating new works in Yiddish/English/Yinglish and one thing led to another and Max wrote a nice little piece about my play over at his blog Dress British Think Yiddish.

I particularly enjoyed this part, both as an artist, and as ME, an artist with a big, challenging play that I would REALLY like people to see one day before I'm too old to enjoy it:

I can already tell that there are some meddling dramaturgs out there who want to know 'why Yiddish?' And this is a play that offers a solid answer to the question: It is a play about a specific immigrant experience, and this was the language spoken by this group of immigrants, and they were in a neighborhood where the language still had everyday currency, where even American-born Jews could understand and respond, to some extent. It’s a play that Yiddish makes sense in, and wouldn’t make sense if absent.

But, as I said, I am not interested in why questions. You probably have noticed that I am interested in how questions. How do we make a play? How do we stage a scene? How do we communicate something unfamiliar to an audience? 

This play has a lot of fascinating hows in it. And the ones that interests me the most right now are the following: How is this play going to get a production? How is it going to have a life beyond that production, which is rare for new plays? And how am I going to get a chance to see it? [emphasis mine]

Anyway, go over to Dress British Think Yiddish and check it out, plus Max's adventures in learning Yiddish in Omaha (OMAHA!), some truly original cocktails and the odd ode to Cel-Rey.

A Brokhe on BBC Weekend

How gorgeous is that picture? That's Ben Rosenblatt and Yelena Shmulenson at the reading of A BROKHE, December 28, 2015 at Yiddish New York.

In conjunction with the reading at YNY, the BBC asked me onto their Weekend program (or, programme) to talk about the play, as well as to chat about the state of Yiddish today. You can also listen here. You may get a chuckle out of hearing Yiddish dissed by a Mossad dude. The universe has a sense of irony sometimes.



I'm working on getting a couple of video clips from the reading up on the blog. Check back in soon...

YIDDISH NEW YORK REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

The bad news: After 30 consecutive years, Klezkamp is no more.

The good news: A group of artists has organized a New York City based event to carry on in the spirit of Klezkamp. The event is called Yiddish New York and will feature many of the same world class faculty, but with a New York City twist. The program will be non-residential, which lowers the cost of participation significantly. And, because it will be taking place in the East Village, the organizers will be able to take advantage of many fantastic New York venues and locales. And for everyone who has ever said to their friends and family: 'You'd understand if you had been there' (there being Klezkamp/Klezkanada etc), this may make it a little easier to bring your loved ones into the cult-- I mean, family.

Anyway, go here ASAP and register. The faculty list is lengthy and stellar. I'll even be there, presenting on my new play, the Yiddish-English gangster ghost romance, A Brokhe.

See you in December!

Journalist, Attorney, Angry Lady About Town and... Playwright?

Now seems like a good time to share some exciting news. For the past few months/years I've been working on/sweating blood over my first play. This summer A brokhe will see its premiere staged reading. Squee!

The reading will take place at Klezkanada, and though I know I'm hardly incentive enough, if you haven't thought about attending, you really, really should think about it. Klezkanada is a world unto itself, a week long Jewish arts retreat in the spectacular Laurentian mountains of Quebec. (shabes/kosher/all religions friendly)  More info here.

And now, about that play...

A brokhe by Rokhl Kafrissen

Just Another Brooklyn Gangster Ghost Romance

KlezKanada is proud to present the world premiere staged reading of A brokhe this August!

A brokhe (a blessing) is a new bi-lingual (Yiddish-English) play by Rokhl Kafrissen. Set in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville, in the early 1950s, A brokhe takes on the neglected moment in American-Jewish history when thousands of Eastern European Jews arrived in the United States after the horrors of WWII. Before they were known as survivors, they were simply refugees. 

In A brokhe, members of the Brayndls family find themselves haunted by the wartime past and threatened by American forces they don’t quite understand. With guns, ghosts, and gangsters, A brokhe explores the role of violence in contemporary Jewish history and the Jewish response to trauma. 

This staged reading, directed by Avia Moore and featuring the talent of the KlezKanada artistic community, is an exciting opportunity to experience the world premiere of a new piece of Yiddish theatre.