Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 30, 2024

The pews of the sanctuary have been pushed back and turned so that audience members will face each other, with the scaffolding in the middle.

Its the first time in the Vilna Shuls history that the pews have been moved, says Dalit Horn, executive director of the Vilna Shul, but we were open to creating a stage experience that is convenient and unconventional.

After October 7 [when Hamas attacked Israel], I wondered where human souls go when they are stuck in between two worlds, Golyak says. The Dybbuk speaks to the experience of refugees, as well as the history of the immigrant Jews who established this shul, and then moved on again.

The plot centers on a young woman who becomes possessed by a dybbuk a malicious spirit on her wedding day. The dybbuk is the spirit of the young Hasidic scholar she loved but her father forbade her to marry because he was poor. The scholar died when he learned she was marrying another man. The play blends Jewish folklore and mysticism into a story of star-crossed love. The two leading roles are played by actor Andrey Burkovskiy and actor and film director Yana Gladkikh, both celebrated in Russia before emigrating to the United States.

As the actors rehearse, moving up and around the scaffolding, on a raised platform or close to the Torah ark, the production feels less like its being staged in the sanctuary and more a haunting of the space by ghosts disturbed by the renovations. Of course, mounting a site-specific production is nothing new for Golyak and the Arlekin team. While last falls transformation of an empty basement restaurant space into a bomb shelter and dreamscape for The Gaaga earned Elliot Norton awards for design and direction, Golyaks vision for his sets are never simply backdrops but environments integral to the theatrical experience.

History is layered into this synagogue, says Golyak. When I saw those paintings on the walls I doubled down on the idea of renovation, and uncovering things hidden just below the surface. The scaffolding, which goes almost into the skylight, allows us to see the otherworldliness of the space thats uncovered by the story.

Anskys play, written in Russian, was first performed in Vilnius, Lithuania (also known as Vilna), which was, at the beginning of the 20th century, the global center of Jewish culture. The show eventually became a staple of the popular Yiddish theater. The Vilna Troupe toured Europe with the production, but during Nazi occupation of Lithuania, 95 percent of its estimated Jewish population of 265,000 was murdered.

Naming this synagogue the Vilna Shul in 1919 honored the place where these immigrants came from, says Horn, and while the paintings depicting biblical stories represent the culture, religious traditions, and motifs they wanted to carry with them, there are distinctly American architectural design touches including a sculpture of an eagle with outstretched wings protecting the Torah, and wooden doors decorated with scallop shells that nod to acculturation in their new homeland.

As the Vilna Shul enters its own new phase as Bostons Center for Jewish Culture, Horn says the organization is committed to serving as a host and convenor, supporting artists and helping them tell their stories. We hope this site-specific show will spark interest in Arlekin and the Vilna Shul and provide new opportunities to connect with the Boston community.

Busy summer stages

While local theater companies will soon take a well-deserved summer break, theres no shortage of shows within reach.

While Broadway in Boston, the North Shore Music Theatre, and Ogunquit Playhouse all offer a full slate of summer musicals, the Berkshires are buzzing with Shakespeare at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, new works at the Great Barrington Public Theater, a mix of concerts, new and old titles on the Berkshire Theatre Groups stages in both Stockbridge and Pittsfield, and a heady mix of musicals, cabaret, and plays celebrating Barrington Stage Companys 30th anniversary. Just over the border in Chester, Vt., the Chester Theatre Company always provides a surprising mix of performers and plays.

If its easier to just hop on the T, Moonbox Productions is offering its third annual New Works Festival June 20-24, presenting eight new plays across six stages at the Boston Center for the Arts and Calderwood Pavilion. Tickets are pick your price. And be sure to mark your calendar for Commonwealth Shakespeare Companys annual gift to the city, Free Shakespeare on the Common. This year the company is staging The Winters Tale, July 16-Aug. 4.

And if you need a breath of salt air, head north to Gloucester Stage Company for its busy summer season, or south to the Cape where you can find musicals at the Cape Playhouse, intimate dramas and comedies at Harbor Stage Company, and a mix of new work at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, celebrating its 40th anniversary, before ferrying over to Marthas Vineyard for new works at Marthas Vineyard Playhouse or plays and musicals at the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket.

Chinese folklore and the Bard

CHUANG Stage creates a potent blend of William Shakespeare and Chinese folklore for the world premiere of Nwa in Fairyland, playing at the Boston Center for the Arts Black Box through Saturday. Brandon Zang, currently a student in the MFA Playwriting Program at Boston University, has written a coming-of-age story focusing on Benji, a a Chinese transracial adoptee, whose life takes a magical turn when he is cast as Puck in his high schools production of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. As Benji prepares to play the magical messenger, he meets Nwa, the Chinese goddess of creation, and goes on an adventure that blends languages, identities, and cultures. For ticket information, go to chuangstage.org/nuwa-in-fairyland.

Paulus directs in New York

American Repertory Theater artistic director Diane Paulus moonlights at Lincoln Center to direct the world premiere of N/A The Play, starting June 11 at the Newhouse Theater. Former congressional aide Mario Correas new play stars Emmy winner Holland Taylor as N, the first woman speaker of the House, and Ana Villafae as A, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, as it chronicles a battle of wits between two strong-willed women.

Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne818@gmail.com.

THE DYBBUK

Presented by Arlekin Players Theatre. At Vilna Shul, 18 Phillips St. Through June 23. arlekinplayers.com

See more here:

At Vilna Shul synagogue, the souls of the dead are stirring - The Boston Globe

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