Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"

1931-1969
 

"Mask"


In the beginning of the third decade of the twentieth century in Lemberg, there was founded the Yiddish theatre studio "Mask", under the management of Heniek Luft and Daniel Frankel.

Jonas Turkow writes in his book "Farloshene shtern (Extinguished Stars)":

"The 'Mask' was an avante-garde theatre and quickly was in high esteem, thanks to the serious, responsible attitude to theatre arts. The theatre studio 'Mask' became popular in the entirety of Eastern Galicia.

Around the "Mask" there was grouped the Lemberg Yiddish literary world, such as: Israel Ashendorf, Rachel Auerbach, Nokhum Bomze, Jacob Schudrich, Sonia Friedman, Nachman Blitz, I. Nacht and the fanatics of better Yiddish theatre -- the famous lawyer Dr. Leib Landau. They had the literary oversight over new young theatre. The artist-painter Fritz Kleinman, I. Vits, M. Bukh, I. Shtreng and Otto were the artistic advisors. They also used to paint the sets and costumes for the 'Mask'. Bella Katz directed the choreography.

The 'Mask' staged, among others, 'In polish oyf der keyt' by I. L. Peretz, 'Revizor' by N. Gogol, 'Di takse' by Mendele Mukher Sforim, adapted from Itsik Shiper and I. Gezunt, 'Di veber (The Weaver)' by G. Hauptmann, 'Shylock' by Hashek, 'Di hofenung' by Heyermans, 'Bunt in oysbeserungs-hoyz' by Lampel, 'Sokrateses farteydikung' in the adaptation of I. Ashendorf, 'Bontshe shvayg' in Chaim Nisencweig's adaptation, 'Di kliatshe' by Mendele Mukher Sforim in I. Ashendorf's adaptation, 'Der shotn', according to Andersen, in Luft's adaptation.

The regisseurs of the 'Mask were Heniek Luft, Daniel Frankel and David Licht. Music for all the offerings were written by Professor Henrik Ginsberg.

The ensemble of the 'Mask' consisted of intelligent, purposeful youths who became professional actors in their time: Esther Gruber, Nathan Mayzler, Avraham Pliver, Severin Zwerling Leib Tell, Blanke Altshuler, Chanan Grosfeld, Rosa Reisman, and the singers Julia Moretska, who later went over to the Polish opera".

  • Jonas Turkow -- "Farloshene shtern (Extinguished Stars)", Buenos Aires, 1953, Vol. II, pp. 16-18.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 3,  page 4968.
 

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