Yentl – Fairfax Theatre
LISTEN TO PODCAST NOW
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:32 — 16.6MB)
Subscribe or Follow Us: Apple Podcasts | Blubrry | Podchaser | Email | RSS
Opening at the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Theatre in
March 2022, this entirely original stage adaptation of the iconic
and provocative short story Yentl, is the first since the 1975
Broadway play, and the first new adaptation since the pop culture
phenomenon that was Barbra Streisand’s 1983 musical film.
A new adaptation by Gary Abrahams, Elise Hearst,
Galit Klas and Evelyn Krape
Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne
12 March — 26 March 2022
www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
Kadimah Yiddish Theatre presents
Based on the original Yiddish short story “Yentl“ by
Isaac Bashevis Singer
“This production is a very purposeful re-claiming of the
short story, taking it back to its darker, more dangerous
roots,” says co-creator and director Gary Abrahams,
whose recent credits include acclaimed productions of
33 Variations with US actor Ellyn Burstyn at the Comedy
Theatre, and Kadimah Yiddish Theatre’s The Ghetto Cabaret
at fortyfivedownstairs. “Yentl is an incredibly transgressive
and irreverent story that was sanitized and made very PC by
the film. But Bashevis Singer’s story is so much stranger, so
much more unsettling, so much more rooted in a world full
of demons, dybbuks and ghosts.”
Set in a Polish shtetl in 1870, Yentl is the story of a young
woman who defies Jewish orthodox tradition by secretly
studying religious scripture, forbidden to females. When her
beloved father dies, Yentl runs away dressed in male guise,
determined to live as a man and continue her studies. She
meets Avigdor, a young Yeshiva boy, who – believing her to
be male – takes her under his wing where she convincingly
lives as the impressive male talmudic student, Anshl. But
when Avigdor introduces Anshl to the woman he loves,
Hodes, Anshl’s life takes a surprising and dangerous turn.
Soon, a fragile love triangle emerges when Yentl falls in love
with both Avigdor and Hodes, and Avigdor finds himself
attracted to the boy he believes is Anshl.
This bold and contemporary adaptation will be staged
both in English and Yiddish (with English surtitles translated
by internationally-renowned academic Professor Rivke
Margolis), continuing Kadimah’s mission to bring Yiddish
culture and language to a wide audience. This new
adaptation of Yentl leans into the work’s feminist themes,
examines its queer subtext, and explores its Yiddish roots
in surprising and unfamiliar ways. “There’s this wonderful
intersection between contemporary queer politics and oldworld
Yiddish culture,” says Abrahams. “It’s a story about
identity, and about the danger and bravery of creating one’s
identity when you have to fight against the status quo of the
world around you.”
Featuring emerging actor Jana Zvedeniuk as Yentl (whose
Russian/Israeli/Yiddish background made her an undeniable
choice for her first major role) alongside award-winning
actor Evelyn Krape (King Lear, The Ghetto Cabaret,
Female Parts), this stellar cast and creative team relish the
opportunity to explore Nobel Prize-winner, Bashevis Singer’s
story through a contemporary lens.
Yentl headlines a year-long calendar of events celebrating
Kadimah’s 110 years of continuous theatre, language and
cultural programs. Today, the Kadimah is Australia’s beating
heart of Yiddish culture, and home to the country’s largest
Yiddish library and archive. The Kadimah Yiddish Theatre, led
by Artistic Co-Directors Evelyn Krape and Galit Klas, presents
challenging and contemporary bilingual theatre.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:32 — 16.6MB)
Subscribe or Follow Us: Apple Podcasts | Blubrry | Podchaser | Email | RSS
RECENT PODCAST
Sunday Arts Magazine: Sally McKenzie
Enjoy this absorbing episode of Sunday Arts Magazine with special guest, award-winning Sally McKenzie. Sydney-born playwright, performer, director and screenwriter ...
LISTEN TO PODCAST NOW
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:54 — 10.9MB)
Subscribe or Follow Us: Apple Podcasts | Blubrry | Podchaser | Email | RSS
Sunday Arts Magazine: David Youings and Jennifer Vuletic
Two very special guests, David Youings and Return guest Jennifer Vuletic, chat to Sunday Arts Magazine about the play The ...
LISTEN TO PODCAST NOW
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:00 — 20.1MB)
Subscribe or Follow Us: Apple Podcasts | Blubrry | Podchaser | Email | RSS
Sunday Arts Magazine: Garrie Maguire
Meet the person behind the captivating Male//Chair exhibition when photographer Garrie Maguire returns to Sunday Arts Magazine. Australian born, Garrie Maguire ...
LISTEN TO PODCAST NOW
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:00 — 11.9MB)
Subscribe or Follow Us: Apple Podcasts | Blubrry | Podchaser | Email | RSS