Chaim
Towber
(Tauber, Toyber)
T. was born on 14 June 1901
in Mohilev Podolsk, Ukraine. His father was a poor
tailor. He learned in a cheder, and later in a school of
commerce.
As a nine- or ten-year-old
youth, T. with his parents acted in "Doctor Alamasado"
in a Goldfaden room, that his brother created, who had
become a member in an amateur circle.
In 1917 he organized in town
a dramatic union "Di yidishe bine" under the direction
of Barukh Mazhbits, and on 12 May T. performed there as
"Shemay" in Gordin's "Der yidisher kenig lir (The
Yiddish King Lear)", and he later became the regisseur
of the union. the actors, under the name of "The Mohilev
Troupe", then traveled on a tour across the surrounding
small towns, acting most of the time for living expenses
instead of admission money.
At the end of 1919, T.
entered into the professional troupe under the direction
of Meyerson and Grisha Epstein, who acted in the cities
of Podolia and Kiev Gubernias. In September 1920 T., due
to the pogroms, wandered off to Rumania, and put
together for Bessarabia a mixed troupe of "amateurs" and
"bezshentses" actors for Russia. In the summer of 1921
T. became engaged to Bucharest's Jignitsa (Theatre) by
Itsikl Goldenberg and acted then with various troupes in
the span of four years.
In 1922 he put on
productions in Bucharest, then in other Rumanian cities,
T.'s three-act drama, "Glut". |
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In Bessarabia he acted
in a dramatic circle, acting in his one-acters "Der
blutiker khnukhh" and "Derner-vegn". T. also translated
several plays from Russian, which were performed on the
Yiddish stage, and he dramatized Y. L. Peretz's "Dray
matunus (The Three Gifts)".
On 25 July 1925 T. came to
Montreal (Canada) and performed there in Hollander's
troupe, with whom he acted until 1928 in the American
provinces. In 1928-29 he acted in Philadelphia's Casino
Theatre (manager Julius Nathanson), and there there was
staged T.'s comedy "Der galitizner rebbe" (music by
Osofsky), and in December 1929 T.'s operetta "Dos
goldene ringele" (direction Julius Nathanson, music by
Reuben Osofsky), which on 24 January 1930 was staged by
M. Michalesko in New York's National Theatre (music by
A. Olshanetsky).
In 1929-30 he acted in
Brooklyn's Liberty Theatre. In 1930-31 he was in the
Hollander troupe in Toronto and across the province. In
the summer of 1931 he was social director in a Workman's
Circle in Boston. In 1931-32 he acted in Detroit, and in
1932-33 he was in Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre.
On 31 December March 1931 T.
was taken in as a member of the Yiddish Actors Union.
On 10 October 1932 he was in
Boston's Grand Opera House, where there was staged by
Samuel Goldenburg T.'s play "Tsvey hertser" (4 November
1932 in Philadelphia -- under the name of "A velt far
zikh").
Sh. E.
-
Aaron Kanievski
-- A idishe opeeta in kasino teater, vos trogt a
natsionalen kharakter un farshaft fargegigen,
"Der tog", Philadelphia, 1 January 1929.
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Dr. L. Zhitnitsky
-- "Dos goldene ringele in teater 'exselsior",
"Di prese", Buenos Aires, 7 July 1929.
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Nun Tsdik [G.
Tsuker] -- Der galitsianer rebbe (fun khayim
toyber) in teater "ekselsior", "Argentiner tog",
Buenos Aires, 21 July 1929.
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S. Rogensberg --
Samuel goldenburg's ersher oytrit in kasino
teater, "Di idishe velt", Philadelphia, 8
November 1932.
-
William Edlin --
"Tsvey hertser" -- Naye piese in nashonal teater,
"Forward", N. Y., 9 December 1932.
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B. Y. Goldstein
-- "Elter-shvekhe", "Fraye
arbayter shtime", N. Y., 16 December
1932.
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