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Yiddish Empire: The Vilna Troupe, Jewish Theater, and the Art of Itinerancy

Debra Caplan 2018
Yiddish Empire tells the story of how a group of itinerant Jewish performers became the interwar equivalent of a viral sensation, providing a missing chapter in the history of the modern stage. During World War I, a motley group of teenaged amateurs, impoverished war refugees, and out- of- work Russian actors banded together to revolutionize the Yiddish stage. Achieving a most unlikely success through their productions, the Vilna Troupe (1915– 36) would eventually go on to earn the attention of theatergoers around the world. Advancements in modern transportation allowed Yiddish theater artists to reach global audiences, traversing not only cities and districts but also countries and continents. The Vilna Troupe routinely performed in major venues that had never before allowed Jews, let alone Yiddish, upon their stages, and operated across a vast territory, a strategy that enabled them to attract unusually diverse audiences to the Yiddish stage and a precursor to the organizational structures and travel patterns that we see now in contemporary theater. Debra Caplan's history of the Troupe is rigorously researched, employing primary and secondary sources in multiple languages, and is engagingly written.
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ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-13077-1 (hardcover)
  • 978-0-472-12368-1 (ebook)
  • 978-0-472-03725-4 (paper)
Subject
  • Jewish Studies
  • History:European History
  • Theater and Performance
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Table of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • Prologue
  • One. Spectacular Failures
  • Two. Jargon Art
  • Interlude I
    • Three. Between Two Worlds
  • Interlude II
    • Four. Nomadic Chutzpah
  • Interlude III
    • Five. The Vilna Troupe Nexus
  • Interlude IV
    • Epilogue
    • Notes
    • Bibliography
    • Index

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A pencil sketch of a logo with the letters spelling out FADA on the top and a stage lit by seven candles below. Behind the curtain is a road leading to a rising sun.

Original sketch for FADA's logo

From Chapter 2

Leyb Kadison and Alexander Asro's original logo sketch for the Fareyn fun Yididsh Dramatishe Artistn (Federation of Yiddish Dramatic Actors, or FADA), the company that would later become known as the Vilna Troupe. Vilna, 1915.

The word "Program" appears in German and Yiddish. FADA's logo appears in the middle of the program.

FADA logo from an early program

From Chapter 2

FADA logo from an early program, published in Vilna, 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actress Sonia Alomis leaning on a fencepost and looking out into the distance.

Der dorfsyung (The Village Lad), Vilna, 1916, Publicity Still 1 of 2

From Chapter 2

Sonia Alomis as Natasha in Der dorfsyung (The Village Lad), Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actress Sonia Alomis as a Russian maiden repairing a pair of boots.

Der dorfsyung (The Village Lad), Vilna, 1916, Publicity Still 2 of 2

From Chapter 2

Sonia Alomis as Natasha in Der dorfsyung (The Village Lad), Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alexander Asro reclining with his hands around his knees

Got, mentsh, un tayvl (God, Man, and Devil), Vilna, 1916

From Chapter 2

Alexander Asro as Satan in Got, mentsh, un tayvl (God, Man, and Devil) by Jacob Gordin, Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alexander Asro striking a pose

Got fun nekome (God of Vengeance), Vilna, 1916

From Chapter 2

Alexander Asro as Yankl Tsaptchovitch in Sholem Asch's Got fun nekome (God of Vengeance), Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actress Sonia Alomis clutching her head.

Di puste kretshme (The Abandoned Inn), Vilna, 1916, Publicity Still 1 of 2

From Chapter 2

Sonia Alomis as Meyte in Di puste kretshme (The Abandoned Inn), Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actress Sonia Alomis carrying a bale of hay.

Di puste kretshme (The Abandoned Inn), Vilna, 1916, Publicity Still 2 of 2

From Chapter 2

Sonia Alomis as Meyte in Di puste kretshme (The Abandoned Inn), Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alexander Asro holding a cigarette.

Eyferzukht (Jealousy), Vilna, 1916

From Chapter 2

Alexander Asro as Sergei Petrovitch in Eyferzukht (Jealousy) by Mikhail Artsybashev, Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actress Sonia Alomis in costume

Yankl der shmid (Yankl the Blacksmith), Vilna, 1916

From Chapter 2

Sonia Alomis as Tamara in Yankl der shmid (Yankl the Blacksmith) by Dovid Pinski, Vilna 1916

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alex Stein climbing out of a window.

Der dorfsyung (The Village Lad), 1917

From Chapter 2

Alex Stein in Der dorfsyung (The Village Lad) by Leon Kobrin, 1917.

Black-and-white photograph of traveling actors.

The Vilna Troupe on the road in Kazimierz, 1918

From Chapter 2

The Vilna Troupe on the road in Kazimierz, Poland, 1918.

Black-and-white photograph of Yiddish write Yankev Dinezon posing with members of the Vilna Troupe.

Members of the Vilna Troupe with Yiddish writer Yankev Dinezon, Warsaw, 1918

From Chapter 2

Members of Mazo's Vilna Troupe with Yiddish writer Yankev Dinezon. Warsaw, Fall 1918.

Black-and-white photograph of two actors in Jewish religious garb.

Der dibek (The Dybbuk), Warsaw, 1921

From Chapter 3

Joseph Buloff (left) as Henokh and Alex Stein (right) as Khonen in a publicity still for the original, world-premiere production of Der dibek (The Dybbuk) by S. An-sky. Performed by Mazo's Vilna Troupe in Warsaw, 1921.

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alexander Asro thumbing through the pages of a book.

Der meshugener batlen (The Mad Scholar), Berlin, 1921

From Chapter 3

Alexander Asro as the title character of Der meshugener batlen (The Mad Scholar) by Y. L. Peretz. Produced by Azro and Alomis's Vilna Troupe in Berlin, 1921.

Black-and-white photograph of actress Sonia Alomis dressed in rags.

Di niveyle (Carcass), Berlin, 1921

From Chapter 3

Sonia Alomis as Reyzele in Di niveyle (Carcass) by Peretz Hirschbein. Produced by Azro and Alomis's Vilna Troupe in Berlin, 1921.

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alexander Asro and actress Sonia Alomis embracing

Alexander Asro and Sonia Alomis at a dress rehearsal in Berlin, 1921

From Chapter 3

Alexander Asro and Sonia Alomis at a dress rehearsal in Berlin, 1921

Black-and-white photograph of Sonia Alomis in costume in front of a tallis curtain.

Der dibek (The Dybbuk), Berlin, 1922

From Chapter 3

Sonia Alomis as Leah in Der dibuk (The Dybbuk) by S. An-sky. Performed by Asro and Alomis's Vilna Troupe in Berlin, 1922.

Black-and-white photograph of actor Alexander Asro in costume.

Grine felder (Green Fields), Leipzig, 1922

From Chapter 3

Alexander Asro as Levi-Yitskhok in Grine Felder (Green Fields) by Peretz Hirschbein. Performed by Asro and Alomis's Vilna Troupe in Leipzig, 1922.

Black-and-white photograph of two actors portraying a beggar and a possessed woman.

The dance of death scene in Der dibek (The Dybbuk), Paris, 1922

From Chapter 3

The dance of death scene in Der dibek (The Dybbuk). Performed by Asro and Alomis's Vilna Troupe in Paris, 1922.

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