Seattle Jewish Theater Company and The Seattle Public Library will present a performance of S. Ansky’s classic Jewish drama The Dybbuk on Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m. in the Microsoft Auditorium at Central Library. The play is directed by SJTC artistic director Art Feinglass and will be performed in English. The performance will be followed by an audience discussion with the director and cast.
Seattle Jewish Theater Company has been performing classic and contemporary Jewish theater for seven years. SJTC describes The Dybbuk as “the story of a young bride in a Polish shtetl who is possessed by the spirit – a dybbuk– of her dead beloved. The bride, Leah, though betrothed by her ambitious father to a wealthy stranger, yearns for Chonnen, a troubled young scholar. Chonnen’s frustration at being thwarted in love drives him to the secrets of the Kabbalah, which he believes can unlock the hidden powers of the universe and enable him to marry Leah. But, as the plot unfolds, he finds there is a heavy price to pay for delving into secret things.” Visit SJTC’s website for more information about the play.
In addition to being a playwright, S. Ansky (1863-1920) was an activist, poet, journalist, and an ethnographer. Read more about Ansky’s fascinating life in Wandering Soul: The Dybbuk’s Creator, S. An-Sky. Find more of Ansky’s work in The Dybbuk and Other Writings. After witnessing SJTC’s performance, you might want to check out The Dybbuk: S. Ansky’s Immortal Folk Drama of Love and Redemption, a downloadable audiobook performance of the play by Hollywood Theater of the Ear. You may also be interested in reading Tony Kushner’s adaptation A Dybbuk.
~posted by Richard V.
Leave a Comment