{"id":20,"date":"2014-11-07T16:33:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T16:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wyvern.ctl.columbia.edu\/?p=20"},"modified":"2021-07-28T13:38:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T13:38:10","slug":"2012-dybbuk-queens-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/arts\/2012-dybbuk-queens-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens College Dybbuk Production (2012)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Rachel Field<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

In 2012, the Queens College Department of Drama, Theatre, and Dance\u00a0presented a brilliant and thought-provoking version of\u00a0S. An-sky\u2019s 1914 play\u00a0The Dybbuk<\/em>. Directed by Susan Einhorn, the production\u00a0ran from October 31st to November 11th. The play\u00a0was based on an adaptation by American playwright Tony Kushner, who in 1995 used Joachim Neugroschel\u2019s English translation to write his own version of Ansky’s drama. The performance, which lasted nearly three hours, was followed by a panel discussion during which students, professors, and religious leaders discussed Jewish culture in Eastern Europe at the turn of the century. The production featured both professional actors and students and alumni of Queens College. Below is an image of the\u00a0poster announcing the production, which took place in\u00a0Queens College\u2019s Goldstein Theatre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Figure 1. Poster announcing The Dybbuk<\/em> production at Queens College\u2019s Goldstein Theatre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A review of the production can be found here: http:\/\/macaulay.cuny.edu\/eportfolios\/artsandculture_theatre\/2012\/11\/22\/a-dybbuk\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An-sky wrote\u00a0The Dybbuk<\/em>\u00a0prior to the Holocaust when Eastern European Jews faced the constant threat of Russian pogroms. While Kushner\u2019s adaptation honors the original play, it incorporates allusions to the Holocaust and presents a more cynical attitude toward religion that reflects the religious skepticism of many Holocaust survivors as well as Kushner himself. The fact that the Holocaust is never explicitly mentioned lends Kushner\u2019s version a timeless quality. The suffering to which the play alludes could apply to Jews living at any given time.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0was Ms. Einhorn\u2019s goal\u2014to create a timeless work that remained faithful to the themes of the original play. In a phone interview conducted with\u00a0Ms. Einhorn in November of 2014, Ms. Einhorn\u00a0focused on\u00a0the significance of depicting beggars stealing before the wedding ceremony of Leah and Chonon. Ms. Einhorn wanted \u201cto juxtapose the splendor and opulence\u201d of the wealthy with the desperateness and hopelessness\u00a0of the poor, just as Ansky sought to shed light on the social tensions that he attributed to the rise of capitalism.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u00a0She hoped to convey the message that even though Sender feeds the poor during this scene, \u201cthere is still hypocrisy involved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Costumes, designed by Amanda Shafran, were carefully planned out to highlight the play’s themes.\u00a0The costumes\u00a0were in period with the exception of\u00a0The Messenger\u2019s costume, which incorporated fashion styles from various time periods.\u00a0In a phone interview,\u00a0Ms. Shafran explained, \u201cWe chose to have The Messenger in a look that combined pieces from many different time periods to allude to the fact that The Messenger was mystical, spiritual, guiding the action along.\u201d<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The timelessness of The Messenger’s character\u00a0gives the \u201csense that there might be many spheres of storytelling operating at same time,\u201d Ms. Shafran added.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> She then explained that Leah wore a yellow dress to symbolize that she\u00a0is a \u201cguiding hope\u201d in the play.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n
\n
\"Leah\"<\/a>
Figure 2. Gabrielle Georgescu appearing as\u00a0Leah (left) and Thomas Stagnitta as Chonon (right).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Figure 3. Sketch of Leah’s costume by Amanda Shafran.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\n

Ms. Shafran described how\u00a0she was “initially inspired by photographs of Jewish cemeteries.\u201d The curly script of the tombstones and the asymmetry of Eastern European cemeteries were mirrored in the asymmetry of the lace used for Leah\u2019s dress. Ms. Shafran used real pieces of silver from prayer garments and tzitzis as trims for the ghost bride\u2019s dress in order to present a sort of history of the Jews. The religious garments \u201chold a sense of mysticism and history,\u201d explained Ms. Shafran.<\/p>\n

The renowned Klezmer revivalist Yale Strom was commissioned to write a score for the production. The music, which featured voice, accordion, and saxophone, was performed live by the Klezmer group Hot Pstromi. Like An-sky, Yale Strom embarked on an ethnographic expedition of Jews living in Eastern and Central Europe, the result of which was a 400-page collection of songs and photographs.<\/p>\n

Yale Strom’s webpage can be found here:\u00a0http:\/\/www.yalestrom.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The production’s set was designed by Harry Feiner. Through the use of a rotating platform, the setting could be easily transformed. For courtyard scenes, the bimah<\/em> and arc could be rotated such that the tree became prominent. The bimah<\/em> could be positioned in two different ways depending on whether the scene took place in the town synagogue or in Reb Azriel\u2019s synagogue. The archways on both sides of the stage resembled trees with the intertwining branches curved to create the Star of David, just as in the movie adaptation of the play, the symbol of the Star of David appears constantly as a reminder of Jewish unity.<\/p>\n

Choreography was directed by Rachel Finerman, who, according to director Susan Einhorn, sought to capture, through \u201cuncomfortable and awkward\u201d movements, the \u201ctragedy [and] poverty that the beggars represented.\u201d\u00a0Following the show, a panel consisting of Professor Elissa Bemporad, a professor in the history department at Queens College, Rabbi Shur, and Dr. Thomas E. Bird, a professor of Russian language and literature, was held. Professor Bemporad discussed An-sky\u2019s life in Russia, his complicated relationship with Judaism, his socialist involvement, and his attempt to reunite the Jewish people by collecting and preserving Jewish folklore.<\/p>\n

Image Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Figure 1. http:\/\/macaulay.cuny.edu\/eportfolios\/artsandculture_theatre\/201 2\/11\/22\/a-dybbuk\/<\/a>. Accessed November 7, 2014.
Figure 2. http:\/\/www.amandashafran.com<\/a>. Accessed November 7, 2014.
Figure 3. http:\/\/www.amandashafran.com<\/a>. Accessed November 7, 2014.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“Dybbuk.”<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Dybbuk<\/em>. Accessed July 28, 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Einhorn, Susan. Personal interview. November 3, 2014.<\/p>\n

Kushner, Tony, and Joachim Neugrochel.\u00a0A Dybbuk and Other Tales of the Supernatural.<\/em>\u00a0New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2012. Print.<\/p>\n

Nebro, Marina. A Dybbuk<\/em> (Review).<\/a> Accessed July 28, 2021.<\/p>\n

Shafran, Amanda. Personal interview. November 5, 2014.<\/p>\n

“Yale Strom Klezmer Artist.” Yale Strom Klezmer Artist<\/em>. Web. 5\u00a0Nov. 2014.\u00a0<http:\/\/www.yalestrom.com<\/a>>.<\/p>\n

Footnotes<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rachel Field In 2012, the Queens College Department of Drama, Theatre, and Dance\u00a0presented a brilliant and thought-provoking version of\u00a0S. An-sky\u2019s 1914 play\u00a0The Dybbuk. Directed by Susan Einhorn, the production\u00a0ran from October 31st to November 11th. The play\u00a0was based on an adaptation by American playwright Tony Kushner, who in 1995 used Joachim Neugroschel\u2019s English translation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":2829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,231,160],"tags":[176,19],"class_list":["post-20","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-dybbuk","category-theater","tag-dybbuk","tag-theater"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9teox-k","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-content\/uploads\/screen_shot_2014-11-09_at_1.17.31_pm-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3524,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions\/3524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jewishstudiescolumbia.com\/myny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}