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Yaakov
Ber Gimpel
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Born cir. 1840 in Lemberg,
Galicia.
For many years he was a
chorus singer in the Polish theatre.
As Joseph Weinstock reports,
G, on his own initiative, worked actively in the
Lemberg regional government [and received] a concession
for
the Yiddish theatre -- as a reward for his many years of
activity in the Polish state theatre.
In 1889 G. founded the first
stable Yiddish theatre in Lemberg, which became very
popular in the whole of the Yiddish theatrical world. G.
called his theatre "Yiddish-Polish", but the Polish
public [kenn dem], and he had to call it "German-Yiddish
Theatre". On the local stage, for a certain time also [geshtanen]
under the leadership of Avraham Goldfaden, and they became
educated under the [tsendlikler] Yiddish actors, who
were earlier in the chorus of G., and here began to act
and afterwards became the preeminent Yiddish theatre
powers.
His many Yiddish plays,
which also includes several Goldfaden operettas, had
their premieres on the Gimpel stage. Berta Kalich, who
began her stage career as a chorus singer with G., pictures
him as such (following translation of Kalich quote needs
work):
"An honest person, a sincere
person, with a strong sense for justice. A tall giant of
a figure. As in the chorus he had come with [drk-arts].... |
There is no one who
has fallen[?], so it is possible to have a
Yiddish theatre in Lemberg and that it would pay
off.
The [frumakes] have
him in no way allowed such "Khilul Hashem". She
has rapidly with a program if any will make a
joke? of Judaism (yiddishkeyt) in such a brutal
manner. Also the Lemberg cultural community [kahal]
was opposed."
Since 1906 the
theatre has been led by G.'s son Emil. His
second son, Adolph, is the orchestra conductor
in the same theatre.
In January (Shabbat)
1906, G. passed away in Lemberg.
Sh. E. from Joseph Weinstock and M. E. from
Peter Graff.
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B. Gorin -- "Di Geshikhte
fun idishn teater (The History of the Yiddish Theatre)",
Volume II, p. 142.
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Jacob Gordin --
Dos idishe teater in galitsyen, "Di varheyt", N.
Y., 23 November 1907.
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Bertha Kalich --
(Memoirs), "Der tog", 15 April 1925.
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M. Osherowitz --
(Memoirs of Regina Prager), "Forward", 25
September 1926.
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M. Myodovnik --
Meyne teater zikhroynes, zhurnal "Der shtern",
Minsk, 2, 1926.
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Moshe Frostig --
Gimpels teater in lemberg untergegangen, "Morning
Journal",
N. Y., 26 March 1926.
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Anshel Schorr --
Dos teater in shenk, "Teat"ts", Warsaw, (10) 3,
1929.
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D. Shedletski --
Idisher teater in lemberg halt beym untergen,
"Forward", N. Y., 1 March 1929.
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Sholem Perlmutter
-- Der suf fun lemberger idisher teater fun
vanen amerike hot importirt ihre bavuskte
artistn, "Der tog", N. Y., 7 February 1930.
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