The oldest, only surviving professional Yiddish theatre company in the U.S., the Folksbiene brings its traveling show to Dayton

By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer, March 2010

Where would American humor be without Yiddish, with words such as meshugah and shlemiel peppering dialogue in films and on television?

The language of Eastern European Jews for a millennium, Yiddish vividly evokes images, often through the very sounds of the words.

It’s no wonder Yiddish culture developed its own dynamic theatrical tradition.

Those who have only heard of the lore and legends of Yiddish theatre will have a rare local opportunity to experience it firsthand when the Dayton Jewish Community Center Yiddish Club presents the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s traveling troupe on March 21 at the Engineers Club.

The troupe will perform its musical revue, Mama’s Loshn Kugel. For non-Yiddish speakers, Folksbeine Associate Artistic Director Motl Didner points out that the title is a play on words.

“Mama Loshn (mother tongue) refers to the Yiddish language,” he explains. “A lokshn kugel is a noodle pudding, a very popular comfort food which is often served as part of the Sabbath meal. So Mama’s Loshn Kugel is something of a Yiddish pudding: a joyful mixture of humor and song, longing and celebration.”

The aim of the Folksbiene troupe is to spread the word — the Yiddish word — and enhance appreciation of the Yiddish language.

A scene from Folksbiene’s Mama’s Loshn Kugel

“It is a way,” Didner says, “to connect to the world of our grandparents and great-grandparents who struggled through many hardships in Eastern Europe and as immigrants in America to make this a country in which Jews could thrive.

“Unfortunately, part of succeeding in America at that time meant abandoning the language and culture which made them different. By reclaiming what was nearly lost, we gain a greater appreciation of the sacrifices they made for us. It deepens our Jewish identity and our understanding of our history and culture.”

Yiddish theatre’s origins are possibly tied to the tradition of the Purim shpiel, the outrageous comedic improvisational plays based on the biblical story of Esther, performed in synagogues by amateurs on Purim.

Professional Yiddish theatre began in Romania in 1876 with Abraham Goldfaden. He wrote, produced and directed dozens of Yiddish plays in the last quarter of the 19th century, many of which would be performed in the United States.

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene opened its doors in 1915 on New York’s Lower East Side, alongside 14 other Yiddish theatres.

Today, it’s the sole surviving professional Yiddish theatre in the United States and the longest continuously producing Yiddish theatre company in the world. There are only three other professional Yiddish theatre companies in operation today: in Montreal, Warsaw and Tel Aviv.

As a way to bring Yiddish to people all over the United States, the Folksbiene created its troupe in 2004. Troupe members are actors in their 20s and 30s who have all learned Yiddish as adults in summer programs or at universities.

Some of the actors are Yiddish speakers with a background in performance; others are professionally-trained actors who have been recruited by the Folksbiene to learn Yiddish through a scholarship fund at The Workmen’s Circle.

Didner says that Yiddish theatre today has a growing audience.

“We are attracting many new supporters from among second and third generations of families of Holocaust survivors, from the recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from young people who are coming to the Yiddish world, and from individual donors and foundations who believe in the value of Yiddishkeit as part of Jewish continuity, and some government agencies who see the important contribution of the Jewish people to American culture,” he says.

In New York, the Folksbiene offers main-stage productions, bilingual children’s entertainment and a play reading series.

The troupe’s creators hope people walk away with a reinforced sense of identity, renewal and pride in Yiddish culture in a multi-cultural world.

How does the show keep the interest of those who don’t speak Yiddish? Borrowing from the opera experience, the Folksbiene uses supertitles in English and Russian so non-Yiddish speakers can understand the show while still hearing the sounds of the language.

“Non-Yiddish speakers have consistently indicated that they follow the shows very easily,” Didner says.

“The stories, the songs and the humor resonate quite strongly. Although many people don’t realize it, Yiddish humor is the basis for much American humor. The Marx Brothers, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Billy Crystal and Larry David are all influenced by the Jewish humor of the Yiddish speakers who came before them.”

The DJCC Yiddish Club presents the Traveling Troupe of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in the revue Mama’s Loshn Kugel on Sunday, March 21 at 2 p.m. at the Engineers Club, 110 E. Monument Ave. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 students, with a reception after the show. Call Karen Steiger at 853-0372.