In this workshop, we will learn about Mirele Efros - one of the great Yiddish plays, known as the 'Yiddish Queen Lear'.
We will also discuss the history of Yiddish theatre in London and around the world. And we will read and act out extracts from Mirele Efros in the original Yiddish with English translation.
This workshop is suitable for people with all levels of Yiddish (including complete beginners) and all levels of theatre experience (including complete beginners)!
About the Workshop Leaders:
Tamara Micner
Tamara Micner is a performer, playwright & Yiddish teacher in London. She teaches Yiddish with Babel's Blessing and The Workers' Circle, and completed advanced Yiddish studies at the Paris Yiddish Centre, where she studied Yiddish theatre and took part in the weekly theatre workshop. As an award-winning theatre artist, she has created and performed plays for more than 10 years, including What You're Missing, Holocaust Brunch and A Secret Life. She is currently co-writing the East End Yiddish panto Yankl & Der Beanstalk. www.tamaramicner.com
Sonia Gollance
Sonia Gollance is Lecturer in Yiddish at UCL. A scholar of Yiddish theatre and dance, she has taught Yiddish folk dance at venues such as KlezNorth, the JMI Summer Schools and Yiddish New York. Her book, It Could Lead to Dancing: Mixed-Sex Dancing and Jewish Modernity (Stanford University Press, 2021), was a National Jewish Book Awards (USA) finalist. She is the Managing Editor of Plotting Yiddish Drama, a project of the Digital Yiddish Theatre Project. She is the translator of Tea Arciszewska’s play Miryeml and is currently developing a project on Yiddish plays by women. www.soniagollance.com
Check out the full Season of Yiddish Theatre■
24 January: Secrets of the London Yiddish Stage
Due to popular demand, Secrets of the London Yiddish Stage is back for one night only!
With its entertaining mix of readings from one-act plays, sketches, and songs from London’s immigrant East End, you won't want to miss this!
24 January 2024, 7:30pm
22 February: Mirele Efros by Jacob Gordin
One of the greatest hits of the Yiddish stage, Mirele Efros is called the 'Yiddish Queen Lear' for its depiction of a fierce and complex matriarch.
Featuring a company of leading British-Jewish actors, this reading will be directed by Richard Beecham, followed by an audience Q&A and Yiddish extracts directed by Tamara Micner and featuring Tamara Micner & David Schneider.
22 February 2024, 7:30pm
25 February: Yiddish Theatre Workshop - Mirele Efros
In this workshop, we will learn about Mirele Efros - one of the great Yiddish plays, known as the 'Yiddish Queen Lear'.
We will also discuss the history of Yiddish theatre in London and around the world. And we will read and act out extracts from Mirele Efros in the original Yiddish with English translation.
This workshop is suitable for people with all levels of Yiddish (including complete beginners) and all levels of theatre experience (including complete beginners)!
Note: This workshop is connected to JW3's season of Yiddish theatre, including an English reading of Mirele Efros.
25 February 2024, 1pm - 3pm
6 March: Miryeml by Tea Arciszewska
Miryeml was heralded as a powerful memorial to the million children murdered in the Holocaust. This nearly-forgotten modernist masterpiece is available in English translation for the first time.
As far as we know, the play has never been performed; hence, this will be the world-premiere! Directed by Leo Doulton, this staged reading will be performed in Sonia Gollance’s new English translation.
6 March 2024, 7:00pm
Series funded in part by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation