Kadimah Yiddish Theatre 2021 SEASON PREVIEW kadimah.org.au
When theatres suddenly went dark in March 2020, lightbulbs of another type switched on for us at Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. While our live shows were cancelled and you, our dear loyal audience, were stuck at home, sparks were flying in our imaginations and in our home studios. Audio books were recorded, Digital Shakespeare Monologues in Yiddish were created and live Zoom conversations were had with leading Yiddishists around the world. All through the long months of COVID-19 lockdown, the creative team has been busy writing, researching and composing a program of exciting, new and original Yiddish theatre projects that we can’t wait to share with you. As restrictions in Victoria gradually ease, our plans to present and perform these new projects are coming to life. We’ll keep you posted on dates as we know more. But in the meantime, we want to share some of the exciting ideas we’re working on - and chalishing for you to see and enjoy. Biz 2021!
Galit Klas & Evelyn Krape Artistic Co-Directors, Kadimah Yiddish Theatre
Durkh a Modnem Gloz Through a Strange Lens GALIT KLAS AND JOSH ABRAHAMS
If you can imagine a mash-up of Laurie Anderson, Marlene Dietrich and Kraftwerk, all in Yiddish, you might come close to the breathtakingly original musical concept that is Durkh a Modnem Gloz. The brainchild of world-renowned composer Josh Abrahams and performer Galit Klas, it sets an extraordinary electronic score to lyrics based on Yiddish poetry written by women. With alternatively dreamy, cinematic, robotic techno and Eurodance style tunes, Durkh A Modnem Gloz establishes Yiddish electronic music as a genre. The duo will premiere their debut album, recorded during the COVID lockdown, as part of a live concert in early 2021. A full length show with a livestream option is planned for later in the year. Yentl the Yeshiva Boy KADIMAH YIDDISH THEATRE
The original Yiddish gender bender tale gets some fresh treatment from the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre in a brand new adaptation of the famous Yiddish short story by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer. Yentl the Yeshivah Boy follows the story of a teenage girl who wants to live the life of a man in a conservative Jewish community, and the tragic consequences that unfold. But this version is no Barbara Streisand-style musical. With a challenging new script by Galit Klas and animated videos by Green Room Award-winning designer Dann Barber (The Ghetto Cabaret), Yentl the Yeshiva Boy promises to take us on a multi-media theatrical journey into gender identity, religious and sexual politics, and classic Yiddish literature in a non-binary world.
Scraps of Heaven by Arnold Zable AUDIO BOOK READ BY EVELYN KRAPE
It’s 1958 and working-class Carlton is home to immigrant families trying to begin new lives and make sense of the old. First published in 2004, Arnold Zable’s novel Scraps of Heaven is a stunning evocation of a changing world where optimism is tinged with sorrow. It is a celebration of survival and a reminder that scraps of heaven can be found everywhere. This new audio book version, read by Evelyn Krape, was produced during COVID lockdown, working closely with author Zable, producer Marty Lubran and musical director Tomi Kalinski. The English narration and Yiddish songs bring to life the importance of the Kadimah in the lives of so many.
The Cantor FAMILY RADIO COMEDY
In suburban Melbourne, young lawyer Rose Cook has risen from her working-class roots to a high-flying corporate career. But she struggles to find her place as a Jew and an Australian, so she ditches her legal career to become the cantor at the local synagogue. Well-meaning Rose plunges into communal life, surrounded by her atheist mother, the devoutly Christian synagogue caretaker who knows more about Jewish law than the perpetually-stoned Rabbi and her Polish-born, Yiddish-speaking grandfather with early stages Alzheimer’s. A modern love story told through the traditional dramatic medium of a radio play, this comical original script by Galit Klas will delight audiences of all ages.