“thrillingly alive... skillfully delivered” -NY POST (Critic’s Pick)

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND MARCH 2 - 16, 2014

The 2014 production of THE MEGILE OF plans to:

ENGAGE Over 3,600 people attended the 2013 three-week engagement of THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER. The production exceeded expectations of reaching a diverse audience. With your support, the upcoming production will be more accessible with a scaled ticket pricing system engaging an even wider net of exposure, especially for individuals under 30.

EDUCATE THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER prepares the next generation of audiences through the spectacle of circus as a means to provide insight into history, culture, and tradition - closing the gap that exists between education and entertainment.

PARTNER THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER will partner with schools and community groups to hold stimulating post-show discussions, in-school visits from teaching artists, and provide study guides.

BRIDGE As a critically-acclaimed vehicle, THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER proves the continued relevance of Theatre in today’s world, bridging the language barrier through unconventional expressive storytelling and the use of English and Russian supertitles. PRESS QUOTES

“a home run...[that] keeps the ear and eye delighted throughout.” “ thrillingly alive...skillfully delivered” -Miriam Rinn, THE JEWISH STANDARD -Frank Scheck, NY POST (Critic’s Pick) “a clever production with a lot of heart” “boasts a freshness and vitality” -Marti Sichel, WOMAN AROUND TOWN -Raven Snook, TIME OUT NY (Critic’s Pick) “If MEGILE doesn’t sweep you off your feet, “a fun show that I recommend” chances are, nothing will.” -Ed Malin, NYTHEATRE.COM (Critic’s Choice) -Ted Merwin, THE JEWISH WEEK

“outstanding...[a] cause for celebration!“ “Zalmen Mlotek’s band gets the sound just right, -Paulanne Simmons, CURTAIN UP and ’s music is superb, sung by a wondrous cast.” -Peter Filichia, FILICHIA ON FRIDAYS “This production had me splitting my sides with laughter, crying, and captivated.” “outstandingly directed...choreographed with zest... -THE JEWISH LINK Do not miss this show under any circumstances!” -Miriam Hoffman, THE FORWARD AN EDUCATIONAL SPECTACLE THAT MUST BE SEEN

“A few decades ago, THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER, was set to music and staged in and on Broadway, and was a smash hit, with occasional revivals ever since. THIS IS THE BEST PRODUCTION of it I’VE EVER SEEN. The music is wonderful, the actors are perfect!”

-Nahma Sandow, Professor Emerita at CUNY and author of Vagabond Stars

“I found it to be so joyful and engaging. The music was fabulous and I loved the dancing and creative use of the props and set. Just the notion that the story took place in Shushan - which is because galut is galut [exile is exile] - is a notion students could unpack.”

-Elayna Koevary, SAR ACADEMY

“My students, colleague, and I really enjoyed this fun high- caliber show! I’ve been telling colleagues and friends that it’s a Broadway-quality production that they should go see, even if they don’t understand Yiddish.”

-Eelka Lampa, REGIS HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT THE SHOW

This production is rooted in the artistic tradition of the Shpiel with a circus atmosphere full of brightly colored sets and costumes, juggling, tumbling, aerial acrobatics, masquerade, clowning, magic, and puppetry. The first-rate five piece klezmer band, under the musical direction of Zalmen Mlotek, provides an exuberant soundscape accompanied by energetic choreography.

Jewish Theater began with the Purim Shpiel. The Jewish communities of Renaissance Europe, inspired by the explosion of art and culture around them, brought their Purim celebrations from behind closed doors out into the public. Purim Shpielers went from house to house entertaining families with short plays. This is the beginning of the great Jewish theatrical tradition that 500 years later continues on the Broadway stage, TV and film.

THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER honors these cultural pioneers with this production that puts a new twist on an old tale. This inventive and moving musical is based on a poetic fantasy penned by author Itzik Manger while he was in Warsaw, in 1937 and set to music by the winning composer Dov Seltzer in 1965.

Time periods are whimsically interchanged as a group of revolutionary tailors are inserted into ancient Persia, inhabited by the familiar Queen , Mordechai the Wise, and Haman the Wicked. Among the young apprentice tailors is the sweet and handsome Fastrigosse who plays out a romance with Esther before she is whisked off to the palace for the fateful beauty contest which would put her in a seat of power, allowing her to save the Jewish people from Haman’s deadly plot. PRODUCTION HISTORY

THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER was first presented in a small theater in Jaffo, Israel in a production starring the Burstyn family (Pesach Burstyn, and their son ). It soon became a big hit and is credited as the show which broke the “Yiddish barrier” in Israel. The production toured Europe and South America. The cast album earned the show a following in America even before the production arrived on Broadway in the 1968-1969 season. Although often revived in Israel, THE MEGILE OF ITZIK MANGER had no major revival in the until this production which ran off-Broadway for 23 performances in April and May, 2013 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in City.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL - FOLKSBIENE

The award-winning National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene‘s mission is to preserve through the performing arts, educate future artists and audiences, and strengthen Jewish identity in each generation. It is the longest continuously producing Yiddish theatre company in the world, and celebrates its centenary in 2015 as America’s only surviving professional Yiddish theatre. The company presents plays and cultural programs that connect people to their Jewish roots while serving as a vital resource for the performing arts in America. The NYT-F’s plays, concerts, literary events and workshops are presented in English and Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles. ABOUT ITZIK MANGER

ITZIK MANGER was a prominent Yiddish poet, playwright, self-proclaimed folk bard, visionary, and ‘master tailor’ of the written word. He was born in Czernowitz, Austria-Hungary in 1901. A trickster at heart, Manger was fond of creating fictional biographies for himself and passing them off as truth. In 1921, Manger began publishing his early poems and ballads in several new literary journals founded in the aftermath of . Soon afterwards, he settled in and wrote for the local Yiddish newspapers.

In 1927, Manger came to Warsaw, the spiritual and intellectual center of Ashkenazi Jewry. Between 1929 and 1938, Manger took the Warsaw literary world by storm. Manger’s and Songs of the Megillah represent his first attempts to rewrite old, familiar material through a modernist lens.

With widespread anti-Semitism in the highest levels of Polish government and society, Jewish life in Warsaw became increasingly dire. Manger decided to leave for in 1938, an exile from his creative homeland. However, Paris was not safe for long. In 1940, Manger fled to , Tunis, , and finally , where he became a British citizen and remained unhappily for the next eleven years. He spent several years living in before settling in Israel in 1958, where he remained until his death in in 1969.

ABOUT DOV SELTZER

DOV SELTZER (Book, lyrics, and Music) is one of the leading Israeli composers. He started his career as a song writer, and has composed some of the most successful Israeli musicals, music for theater, film scores and lately symphonic and concert hall music. He wrote hundreds of songs, many of which have become an integral part of the new Israeli folklore. Among his most well-known musicals are , I LIKE MIKE, UTZ LI GUTZ LI, THE MEGILE, and others. He wrote the musical scores for more than forty films, produced both in Israel and abroad. Among his symphonic works are STEMPENIU; TRADITION – Jewish songs for violin and SO, commissioned and recorded for a CD by and the I.P.O.; RHAPSODIE HASSIDIQUE for violin and SO, commissioned and premiered by Lord in London; THE GOLD IN THE ASHES – a symphonic poem in commemoration of 500 years for the expulsion of the Spanish . Together with French dramatist Jacques Rampal he wrote the Opera ESMERALDA based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

His work LAMENT TO YITZHAK – A REQUIEM IN MEMORY OF , premiered in April 1998 by the IPO, with soloists, the New Israeli Opera Choir, and the Ankor Children’s Choir, under the baton of Maestro , as the opening of the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the State of Israel. Additional performances of the work were given by the , with soloists, the Philadelphia Singers Chorale, and the Harlem Boys Choir, conducted by Maestro , as part of the 1999 Festival, and on the 10th anniversary to the assassination of Rabin, by the Jerusalem SO. THE CREATIVE TEAM

MATTHEW “MOTL” DIDNER (director) is the Associate Artistic Director of the National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene. Directing credits include FYVUSH FINKEL LIVE! (Drama Desk Award Nominated), DI TSVEY BRIDER (The Two Brothers), THE PUSHCART PEDDLERS and DI KSUBE (The Marriage Contract). Motl has appeared on stage in GIMPEL TAM (Gimpel the Fool) and performs with Di Folksbiene Trupe (Travelling Troupe). He is a 2013-2014 Translation Fellow at The National Yiddish Book Center. Motl has served on the board of The Workmen’s Circle / Arbeter Ring and currently serves on the boards of Yiddish Actors and Friends Artists’ Club and PS 118 Founding Families of the Maurice Sendak Community School.

ZALMEN MLOTEK (music director) is an internationally recognized authority on Yiddish folk and theatre music and is a leading figure in the Jewish theatre and concert worlds. Mr. Mlotek brought Yiddish-Klezmer music to Broadway and Off-Broadway stages as co-creator, music director, and conductor of THOSE WERE THE DAYS, the first bilingual musical honored with a Drama Desk Award and nominated for two Tony Awards as well as the recent Off Broadway hit THE GOLDEN LAND. He was a composer, arranger, and music director for and Robert Brustein’s acclaimed production of SHLEMIEL THE FIRST (ART, ACT, Lincoln Center) and most recently at the Skirball Center.

MERETE MUENTER (choreographer): CHICAGO (Director and Choreographer- Woodstock Playhouse), BURLESQUE TO BROADWAY (Choreographer- National Tour), THEY WALK AMONG US (Director/ Choreographer- Midtown International Theatre Festival/Winner of Award for Best Choreography), SHERLOCK HOLMES – THE EARLY YEARS (Choreographer - NYMF), THE KING AND I (Choreographer), IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Choreographer), TOMMY (Assistant Choreographer- NYU, directed by Kent Gash), WORLD AIDS DAY GALA (Assistant Director- Capetown, South Africa, directed by Baayork Lee), JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, (European Tour: Assistant Director- directed by Baayork Lee), WEST SIDE STORY (European Tour: Resident Director) JAZZ CHOREOGRAPHY ENTERPRISES, INC., (Artistic Director/Co-Founder).

JENNY ROMAINE (production design) Is a director, designer and puppeteer who is a founding member of the OBIE winning GREAT SMALL WORKS collective, and music director of Jennifer Miller’s CIRCUS AMOK. She has been making socially embedded Yiddish spectacle for over 2 decades collaborating with Adrienne Cooper z”l, Frank London, Dr, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Mayer Kirshenblatt and the Folksbiene on their hit family show, KIDS & YIDDISH. She is a member of the AFTSELOKHES SPECTACLE COMMITTEE that produces massive Purimshpiln each year with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. She is artist in residence with MILK NOT JAILS. She is featured in the film PUNK JEWS. THE CAST

STEPHEN MO HANAN* (King Akheshveyresh/Fanfosse) Broadway: THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, CATS, PETER PAN. West End (London): LES MISERABLES. Folksbiene: DI YAM GAZLONIM, KLEYNKUNST! Off Broadway: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, COMEDY OF ERRORS, JOLSON & COMPANY, HOLY CRAP, KING LEAR.

SHANE BAKER* (Loyfer) is best known for his hit Off Broadway show THE BIG BUPKIS! A COMPLETE GENTILE’S GUIDE TO YIDDISH VAUDEVILLE. He last appeared at the Folksbiene in THE ADVENTURES OF HERSHELE OSTROPOLYER with Mike Burstyn. Upcoming projects include SELTZER NIGHTS: A YIDDISH VAUDEVILLE at the Metropolitan Room this May-June; EXODUS CODE with America In Play at the Flea this July; and WAITING FOR GODOT (in Yiddish!) with New Yiddish Rep at the Castillo Theater this September. Baker also serves as executive director of the Congress for Jewish Culture, a Yiddish cultural organization.

JONATHAN BRODY* (Mordkhe/Homen) – Folksbiene: GIMPL TAM Broadway: SPAMALOT, TITANIC, SALLY MARR...AND HER ESCORTS, ME AND MY GIRL. Tours: MARY POPPINS, SPAMALOT, FUNNY GIRL, MY FAIR LADY. Off-Broadway: PIRATES OF PENZANCE, THEDA BARA & THE FRONTIER RABBI, EATING RAOUL. Regional: ANIMAL CRACKERS, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, 39 STEPS, LOST IN YONKERS, DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, HAMLET, I HATE HAMLET, IRMA VEP, OKLAHOMA, URINETOWN, TIME STANDS STILL, , GROUCHO;A LIFE IN REVUE. Television: BOARDWALK EMPIRE, GUIDING LIGHT, SONDHEIM CELEBRATION AT CARNEGIE HALL, AN EVENING WITH ALAN JAY LERNER, PORGY & BESS:AN AMERICAN VOICE. A proud member of Actors’ Equity for 30 years!

STACEY HARRIS* (Esther, Dance Captain) is delighted to return to the Folksbiene, after appearing as Fannie in THE GOLDEN LAND. Other credits include: Broadway: BELLS ARE RINGING, off-Broadway: LONE STAR LOVE, National Tours: SHOW BOAT, CINDERELLA, DREAMGIRLS. Regional favorites: DAMN YANKEES (Lola), CHICAGO (Roxie), BYE BYE BIRDIE (Rosie), WEST SIDE STORY (Anita), GREASE (Rizzo), MY ONE AND ONLY (Edythe), ROMANCE, ROMANCE (Josefine/Monica), A CHORUS LINE (Diana Morales), ‘S WONDERFUL (Jane), 42ND STREET (Anytime Annie), RUN FOR YOUR WIFE (Barbara), THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO (Lala), and SYNCOPATION (Anna). Stacey is a graduate of Northwestern University. www.stacey-harris.com.

ANDREW KELTZ* (Fastrigosse) made his off-broadway debut in THE GOLDEN LAND (Folksbiene). Select regional credits include: FOLLIES, HOW CAN YOU RUN WITH A SHELL ON YOUR BACK? (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), SNOW QUEEN, JACOB AND JACK (Victory Gardens Theater), YEAST NATION (American Theater Company), , BOWERY BOYS, ALADDIN (Marriott Theatre), PIPPIN (TMTC), THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (Drury Lane Oakbrook), A FEW GOOD MEN, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, OVER THE TAVERN (Peninsula Players), and BILOXI BLUES (Forestburgh Playhouse). Andrew has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the West Point Concert Band. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and a proud member of AEA. THE CAST

REBECCA KEREN (Vashti) Off-Broadway debut! Rebecca has collaborated with Tony-nominee Elizabeth Swados for the last seven years. Projects together include FROM THE FIRE (Judson Church), ATONEMENT: AN ORATORIO ( JCC, The Actor’s Temple), RACHEL AND LEAH (LaMaMa E.T.C./Axelrod PAC Workshops), JEWISH BOOKS COOKING (Manhattan JCC/Bryant Park), & THE DYBBUK (NYU). Other Credits: A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY , and CYMBELINE. Rebecca is a member of The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s Troupe. BFA: NYU-Tisch. www.rebeccakeren.com

STAV MEISHAR (Zeyresh, Aerial Silks) had her stage debut at the age of 10 on the Israeli National Tour of OLIVER! and hasn’t left the stage since. Favorite credits include Elphaba in WICKED (Original Israeli Cast), THE DUKESS OF ROCK (Edinburgh Fringe) and THE DREAMER AND THE ACROBAT (Frigid Festival), which she wrote and produced. A native Israeli, Stav’s American stage debut was with the Folksbiene’s KIDS & YIDDISH. Though a traditional Thespian by training she bends and blends the limits of performing arts – experimenting with circus arts, fire spinning and more. When off stage, Stav is a proud experiential Jewish educator. www.stavmeishar.com

JEREMY RISHE* (Vayzose/Ensemble) Select Off-Broadway credits: SEX ON SUNDAY, STARRY MESSENGER, JEWTOPIA. Select Regional credits: OVER THE TAVERN (Alabama Shakes), THE CHOSEN (Cleveland Playhouse), THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN (Pioneer Theatre Company), THE TEMPEST, MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, STREET SCENE, and THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH (Chautauqua Theatre Company). Select TV/Film credits: THE GOOD WIFE, LAW&ORDER: SVU, BLUE BLOODS, LAW&ORDER, 3 BACKYARDS, TWO NIGHT STAND (post-production), THE WEEKEND (co-writing and acting credit; releasing this summer). He is co-creator of the online series ‘FIRST WORLD problem’ (youtube.com/ firstworldproblem). MFA: NYU, Graduate Acting Program.

HANNAH D. SCOTT* (Fastrigosse’s Mame, Khor) Off Broadway debut: National Yiddish Theatre. Theatre both US and UK includes: BUTOH ELECTRA, DAS RHEINGOLD at The MET Opera, BARBARIANS, ALADDIN, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, HAMLET, SWEENEY TODD, INTO THE WOODS, ME AND MY GIRL West End. TV/film: GAME OF THRONES, FATAL ENCOUNTERS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, SEVEN SINS. Hannah regularly does voice-over work, most recently as THE VIRGIN ANGEL for Virgin Media.

*Member, ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION www.NationalYiddishTheatre.org