Goldfaden and the Yiddish Theatre: Shulamis and its Legacy
An Academic Symposium at Harvard University

Friday, December 4: 12 - 3:30 PM
Agassiz Theater Stage, Radcliffe Yard (5 James Street, Cambridge MA 02138)
Free and Open to the Public


In conjunction with a student-produced production of the historic Yiddish musical "Shulamis" December 2-6 in Agassiz Theatre, join Yiddish theater scholars, performers, and artists from across the country for a landmark conference on the musical's playwright and composer, Avrom Goldfaden, and the legacy of the Yiddish theater. This symposium will feature talks by scholars Alyssa Quint, Joel Berkowitz and Seth Wolitz; Tony-award nominated composer Zalmen Mlotek's reflections on his work as orchestrator and compiler of the score for Harvard's "Shulamis" production; a talk by translator and Yiddish theater scholar Nahma Sandrow on translating "Shulamis" within the context of Goldfaden's oeuvre; and a performance interlude featuring members of the cast of "Shulamis."

Schedule:

12 PM:
Opening Remarks: Debra Caplan (Harvard University)
"Between Archives and Artistry: Directing Goldfaden's Shulamis"

12:30 - 2 PM:

Joel Berkowitz (University at Albany, SUNY) The Jacob Pat Memorial Lecture "Goldfaden's Coups de Theatre in the Service of Jewish Affairs"

Zalmen Mlotek, (National Yiddish Theater - Folksbiene; Musical Curator of Harvard's Shulamis)
"The Curation and Preparation of the Musical Score for Shulamis"

Alyssa Quint (Columbia University)
"Shulamis: Towards a Performance History"

Nahma Sandrow (City University of New York, Translator of Harvard's Shulamis)
"Shulamis and the Yiddish Theater"

2 PM:
Performance Interlude: Highlights from Harvard's production of Shulamis

2:30 PM:
Roundtable Q&A Session
Roundtable Chair and Respondent: Seth L. Wolitz (University of Texas at Austin)

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Sponsored by the Office for the Arts at Harvard, Harvard Learning from Performers, Harvard's Center for Jewish Studies, the Harvard Library Judaica Division, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club and the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation.

website by Shauna Gordon-McKeon, 2009