THE VILNA TROUPE COMES TO THE U.S:. Post by Steven Lasky on the Museum of Yiddish Theatre page on Faceboook.
World War I had begun and the battles raged on between the German and Russian armies. This took a great toll on the citizens that stood between them, especially the Jews. Territory changed hands more than once, especially in such areas as Northeast Poland and Lithuania. Jews in various locations such as Kovno were forced by the Russians to move to other towns or cities such as Vilnius. After a year of fighting, the German army finally broke through the Russian lines and Vilnius was captured.
courtesy of www.eilatgordinlevitan.com
One day, two young actors named Alexander Asro (Azro) and Jacob Sherman approached Kovno native Leib Kadison (the father of actress Luba Kadison) and, knowing that he had done work in the Kovno theatre, asked him if he would set up a Yiddish dramatic company in Vilnius. After all, Vilna at that time was home to many amateur Jewish actors, and it would be no trouble at all putting together a fine assembly of actors….
The Vilna Troupe perhaps is best known for their performance of S. Ansky’s play “The Dybbuk.” They were the first to stage this play, having done so at the Elyseum Theatre in Warszawa, Poland on December 9, 1920. Ansky had just passed away one month before, never having seen a professional production of his play. The production of “The Dybbuk” was quite successful and became a classic of modern Yiddish theater. A few years later, the Troupe would tour extensively, performing “The Dybbuk” for the first time in New York City in 1924.
The Vilna Troupe performed also performed in the U.S. in 1926, especially in New York.
Here is a list (mostly complete) of plays that they performed here in the U.S. in 1924 and 1926, along with the play’s author:
A farvorfen vinkel, Peretz Hirshbein
Der dorfs yung (Yankel boyla), Leon Kobrin
Der dybuk, Sh. Ansky
Der fremder, Jacob Gordin
Der landsman, Sholem Asch
Der shvartser flek, Y. Kadelburg (sp)
Di goldene keyt, I. L. Peretz
Di mishpakha, H. D. Nomberg
Di neveyleh, Peretz Hirshbein
Grine felder, Peretz Hirshbein
Motke ganef, Sholem Asch
On a harts, Louis E. Miller
Shver tsu zayn a yid, Sholem Aleichem
Yankel der shmid, David Pinski.
Here is a list of troupe members for the U.S. 1923-4 season:
Alomis, Sonia
Asro, Alexander
Bellarina, Bella
Bleifer, Jacob
Eckman, Max
Feder, Moishe
Greenberg, Joseph
Kowalsky, Matityahu (Matus)
Lubotzky, Jacob
Nachbush, Noach
Naomi, Leah
Schneour, Chaim
Tanin, Sholom
Vitalin, Freda
Walter, Pola
Weide, Miriam
Here is a list of troupe members for the 1925-6 season:
Asro, Alexander
Birnbaum, Rosie
Walter, Pola
Wendorf, Reuben
Zhelazo, Lazar
Tanin, Sholom
Lubotzky, Jacob
Nakhbush, Noakh
Naomi, Leah
Alomis, Sonia
Feder, Moishe
Kadison, Chanah
Kadison, Leib (Leon)
Kovalsky, Matityahu
They performed in such venues in NYC and elsewhere (probably an incomplete list):
Broadway
Folly (Baltimore)
Grand
Hopkinson
Irving Place
Lenox
Lipzin
Lyric (Bklyn)
Premier (Bklyn)
Prospect
Second Avenue
Standard (Toronto)
You can hear a clip of the Martin Boris interview with Luba Kadison and read a review of “The Dybbuk” at www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/yw-lyt-vilna-troupe-01.htm.