YNY Theater and the YNY Kids’ Program

Theater: AM1 & AM2 (Sun, Mon, Tue) - Yiddish Theater Performance Workshop (Ahuvia, Gottesman, Horowitz, Kindermann, Levison, Magee, Schulman)

YNY Theater and the YNY Kids’ Program - together at last! Join us for an intergenerational puppet theater creation, based on the 1937 socialist marionette allegory, lyalkes (Puppets), by Motl Gilinski. Facilitated by puppet theater creators Hadar Ahuvia and Rowan Magee, Philly puppet and performance artist Marion Horowitz, Asya Schulman of the Yiddish Book Center, and YNY’s Esther Gottesman, Jeyn Levison, and Tine Kindermann. In this online workshop, we will co-create a piece of theater based on the source text about marionettes that rebel against their string-pullers. Drawing from the talents and interests of the people in the workshop—whether music, visual art, improvisation, research, Yiddish language, or turning everyday items into puppets. No prior acting or Yiddish experience is required. Participants should commit to coming to the class during both AM1 and AM2 - although we will *not* be on Zoom this whole time. The workshop will end with a video performance on Wednesday. This workshop is a 4-part intensive, requiring participants to commit to all prep, rehearsal, and performance sessions. In 4 days, we will co-create a piece of theater drawing on Yiddish folk texts, our own stories and experiences, puppets we already know and puppets we will make on the spot - and of course our imaginations. This workshop will take place remotely - with great care to not require workshop participants of all ages to be on screens, while still providing plenty of opportunity to interact with each other and the faculty. Final project will be on video.