In 1882 W. was engaged for
America as a prompter in Zilberman's Oriental Theatre,
and in a span of thirty-eight years was a prompter for
the prominent troupes.
W. wrote and adapted the
following plays, which were performed in America: his
dramatization "Di nekome," under the name "Don Yitzhak Abarbanel," "Moshe Rabeinu" or "Yitskias mtsrim un kries
yom-suf" and "Iz zi meshuge?" or (later called) "Di
gemakhte meshugene" (all staged in 1887 in the Windsor
Theatre), "Amnon and Tamar" (dramatized from Mapu's
novel "Ahavas tsion," staged in 1888), "Sarah" or "Tsurik
fun sing sing" (adapted from the Russian play "Di
kinder-ganevte," staged in 1891), "Lebn far lebn" (adapted
from "Di dermordung fun kaverle," staged by Kessler in
the Thalia Theatre); his translation and adaptation of
Shakespeare's "Shylock der koyfman fun venedig
(Shylock, the Merchant of Venice)" (9
February 1894); the translation "Fatanitsa" or "Der
rusish-terkisher krig" (1896), the comedy "Der golem(?)"
or "Man un vayb (Man and Wife)" (adapted from
Ostrovsky's "Bielugins khasene," staged in November
1901 in the People's Theatre), and the adaptation "Zaraya"
or "Di sheyne yidin" (1908).
He also published several
chapters of memoirs about the Yiddish theatre and had
edited various theatre publications.
W. was the first president
of the Yiddish Actors Local, four years a member of the
Executive (Board) of the Actor's Union, and also
Vice-President, one of the founders of the Yiddish
Theatrical Alliance, and a member in the Editorial
Collegium of the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre."
W.'s daughters, Dora and
Bessie, act on the Yiddish stage. His son-in-law was
the Yiddish-English actor Barney Bernard.
In the last years, W.
withdrew from the stage and from writing, and [now] is active
only in the Yiddish Theatrical Alliance.
M. E.
-
Z. Reyzen -- "Lexicon
of Yiddish Literature," Vol. I, p. 966.
-
B. Gorin -- "History
of Yiddish Theatre," Vol. II, p. 42, and the list of
plays.
-
Jacob P. Adler -- 40
yohr oyf der bine, "Di varhayt," N. Y., 20 October
1917.
-
Sholem Perlmutter --
Yidishe dramaturgen, "Di yidishe velt," Cleveland, 19
December 1928.
|