A HISTORY OF THE JEWISH THEATRE IN BUCHAREST

Jewish Theatre in Romania has a tradition dating back 125 years. Documents show that in 1876 the writer and artist Avram Goldfaden started the first professional Jewish theatre in the world, in a public park in the Romanian town of Yassy. A few months later, Goldfaden moved with his theatre company to Bucharest. The first review of the work of the Jewish Theatre was written by the eminent Romanian poet Mihail Eminescu.

DSince then the Jewish Theatre has held a particular place in Romanian Theatre. The early days were difficult with precarious finances hindering the building of a permanent company and theatre base. But these obstacles did not stop the artistic development of the work and the company could count on the support of fellow artists.

The great director and teacher Jacob Sternberg raised the artistic profile of the company in the early part of the twentieth century. In 1930 he created a studio theatre where modern trends in European theatre could be developed.

The fascist dictatorship years of World War II brought hard times, Jewish artists were not allowed to perform in their own language nor to appear in public. A group of them started the "Barasheum" Theatre in Bucharest where the performances were in Romanian. In 1948 the Bucharest State Jewish Theatre was created. Its programming followed a mix of traditional and modern theatre. The repertoire included Jewish, Romanian and international works.

The actors' versatility and the use of various means of expression are characteristic features of the work. This power of expression and permanent communication with the audience constitutes the main concern of "total" theatre. The theatre has premiered almost 200 new works, offering its audience numerous Yiddish classics including Shalom Aleihem, I.L.Peretz, Mandele Moher Sforim, and works by important Jewish playwrights such as S. Ansky, Jacob Gordin. Classics from the world stage by Ibsen, Moliere, Balzac, Brecht, Lessing, Ibsen, Feuchtwanger, Dürrenmatt and Max Frish have been performed along with plays by Romanian dramatists.

The Jewish Theatre of Bucharest has toured to theatres in the USA, Canada, Israel, Germany, Austria, Russia, Switzerland and France, as well as performed in a number of international festivals to much acclaim.

In its uninterrupted 125 years long history, the last 53 as a State institution, the Jewish Theatre in Bucharest has developed a distinguished profile and occupies a unique position in Yiddish language art worldwide.