Editing Vilna Troupe

The '''Vilna Troupe''' ({{langx|yi|Vilner trupe ווילנער טרופע}}; {{langx|lt|Vilniaus trupė}}; {{langx|pl|Trupa Wileńska}}; {{langx|ro|Trupa din Vilna}}), also known as '''Fareyn Fun Yiddishe Dramatishe Artistn''' (Federation of Yiddish Dramatic Actors)<ref name=Pascal>{{Harvnb|Pascal|2006}}</ref><ref> {{Harvnb|Roshwald|Stites|2002}}</ref> and later '''''Dramă şi Comedie''''', was an international and mostly [[Yiddish]]-speaking theatre, one of the most famous in the history of [[Yiddish theater]]. It was formed in and named after the city of [[Vilnius]] (Vilna) in the [[Russian Empire]], later capital city of [[Lithuania]]. Distinctly [[Modernism|Modernist]], and strongly influenced by [[Russian literature]] and by the ideas of [[Konstantin Stanislavski]], their travels in [[Western Europe]] and later to [[Romania]] played a significant role in the dissemination of a disciplined approach to acting that continues to be influential in the present day.

==Early years==
[[File:הדיבוק.jpg|thumb|Vilna Troupe plays "Der dibek" (''[[The Dybbuk]]''), Poland, 1920s]]

Founded in 1915 or 1916<ref>{{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|p=125}} says 1915; {{Harvnb|Liptzin|1972|p=411}} says 1916, as does {{Harvnb|Pascal|2006}}</ref> during [[World War I]], the troupe began with the deserted [[Vilna State Theatre]] as their base, toured [[Kovno]], [[Białystok]] and [[Grodno]], and soon moved to [[Warsaw]].<ref name=Pascal /> Their repertoire epitomized the second golden age of Yiddish theater, with works by [[S. Ansky]], [[Sholem Aleichem]] and [[Sholem Asch]], as well as [[Molière]], [[Maxim Gorky]], [[Henrik Ibsen]], plus some Jewish-themed plays by non-Jews, notably [[Karl Gutzkow]]'s ''[[Uriel Acosta]]''.<ref> {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|pp=125–26}}.</ref> Their uniform [[Yiddish dialects|Lithuanian Yiddish]] stood in contrast to the mix of dialects often heard in Yiddish theater at the time.<ref name=Pascal/>

They were the first to stage Ansky's ''[[The Dybbuk]]''.<ref name=Roskies>{{Harvnb|Roskies|Werman|2002|p=xxii}}</ref> Early versions of the play were written variously in [[Russian language|Russian]] and Yiddish, but Russian director and [[Stanislavski's system|method acting]] pioneer Stanislavski (who first encountered the work in Russian) made several suggestions to Ansky. One of these was that for the sake of authenticity the piece should be in Yiddish. Stanislavski's death prevented the play from being produced at the [[Moscow Art Theater]].<ref name=Fisher-143>{{Harvnb|Fisher|2002|p=143}}</ref> At the time of Ansky's death, on November 8, 1920, the play was complete but had never been professionally produced.<ref name=Roskies /> As a tribute to Ansky, the Vilna troupe, under the direction of [[David Herman (Yiddish theater)|David Herman]], utilised the 30-day period of mourning after his death to prepare the play, which opened December 9, 1920, at the Elysium Theatre in Warsaw.<ref name=Fisher-143 /><ref name=Downes>Olin Downes, "VILNA TROUPE REVIVED On the 20th Anniversary of Its Founding 'Dybbuk' Is Given", ''The New York Times'', February 24, 1937, p. 18.</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Mazower|2005}}; this is the citation for the name of the theater.</ref> Its unanticipated success established the play as a classic of modern Yiddish theater.<ref name=Roskies />

They toured extensively; they played in [[New York City]], [[London]] and [[Paris]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|p=126}}.</ref> Their 1923 London production of [[Sholem Asch]]'s ''[[The God of Vengeance]]'' at the [[Pavilion Theatre, Whitechapel]] was shut down by the censor (who had originally passed it based on an English-language synopsis).<ref>"LONDON NOTES: Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES", ''The New York Times'', October 28, 1923, p. X2.</ref> The play includes a portrayal of a [[Lesbianism|lesbian]] relationship, which is the most favorably portrayed relationship in what is otherwise dark play. <ref>Bud Coleman, [http://salempress.com/Store/samples/great_events_from_history_glbt/great_events_from_history_glbt_god.htm "''The God of Vengeance'' Opens on Broadway"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028182732/https://salempress.com/Store/samples/great_events_from_history_glbt/great_events_from_history_glbt_god.htm |date=2007-10-28 }}, excerpted from ''Great Events from History: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Events'' (Lillian Faderman, Yolanda Retter, Horacio Roque Ramírez, eds., December 2006; {{ISBN|978-1-58765-263-9}}), Salem Press. Accessed online December 10, 2008.</ref> Among the members of the troupe was [[Joseph Green (actor)|Joseph Green]], later a Yiddish-language filmmaker.<ref name=Edelman>{{Harvnb|Edelman|2003}}</ref>

==Bucharest==
In 1923, the Vilna troupe came to Bucharest at the invitation of [[Isidor Goldenberg]] of the Jigniţa Summer Theater. At the time, the troupe included actresses [[Hanna Braz]], [[Luba Kadison]], Helena Gotlib, [[Judith Lares]], [[Hanna Mogel]], and [[Miriam Orleska]], and actors [[Alexander Stein (Vilna Troupe actor)|Alexander Stein]], [[Joseph Buloff]], [[Aizik Samberg]], Joseph Kamen, Jacob Waislitz, [[Leib Kadison]], [[Shmuel Sheftel]], Benjamin Ehrenkrantz and [[Chaim Brakarz]]. The director of the company was [[Mordechai Mazo]].<ref> {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998}}; {{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=275}}</ref> Author, businessman and [[Zionism|Zionist]] activist [[A. L. Zissu]] was instrumental in helping the transition and was  reportedly the company's main financial backer after 1923. Zissu was the brother-in-law of the Romanian poet [[Tudor Arghezi]].<ref name=pc275>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=275}}</ref>

According to playwright and cultural promoter [[Israil Bercovici]], their disciplined approach to theater impacted not only Romanian Yiddish theater but [[Theater of Romania|Romanian theater]] generally. Their audience went beyond the usual attendees of Yiddish theater: they drew the attention of the [[Romanian language|Romanian-language]] press, the Romanian theater world, and of "men of culture" generally. An August 23, 1924 article in the daily newspaper ''[[Adevărul]]'' noted: "Such a demonstration of artistry, even on a small stage such as Jigniţa and even in a language like Yiddish ought to be seen by all who are interested in superior realization of drama."<ref>   {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998}}, especially pp. 126–8; the ''Adevărul'' quotation is on page 128</ref> Romanian literary critic [[Paul Cernat]] argues that the Vilna Troupe acted as a ferment for the local [[avant-garde]], [[Expressionism|Expressionist]] environment, and by extension, for cutting edge [[Literature of Romania|Romanian literature]].<ref> {{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|pp=269, 275}}</ref> Cernat noted that while most Romanian avant-garde shows were "simple playful curiosities", "expressionist aesthetics were not without consequences on the [new Romanian] theatrical texts".<ref>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=269}}</ref> 

In Cernat's view, the Vilna Troupe accomplished this in tandem with various local companies and promoters. Among the latter, he cites Zissu, [[Benjamin Fondane]], [[Ion Marin Sadoveanu]], [[Armand Pascal]], [[Sandu Eliad]], [[Scarlat Callimachi (communist activist)|Scarlat Callimachi]], [[Dida Solomon]], [[George Ciprian]] and various authors affiliated with ''[[Contimporanul]]'' magazine.<ref> {{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|pp=269–74}}</ref> Citing cultural historian [[Ovid Crohmălniceanu]], Cernat also concludes that the branch of Expressionism favored by the company followed a distinct path, having its roots in [[Hasidic Judaism]].<ref name=pc276>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=276}}</ref>

The Vilna Troupe was instantly made notorious by its staging of ''The Deluge'', a work by [[Sweden|Swedish]]-born dramatist [[Henning Berger]], which was positively reviewed by the prominent literary magazine ''Rampa''.<ref name="potop">{{in lang|ro}} {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080829134042/http://www.romanianjewish.org/db/pdf/nr280_281/speciala6.pdf "''Potopul''—valuri, valuri" ("''The Deluge''—wave after wave")]}}, ''Realitatea Evreiască'' nr. 280-81 (1080-81)</ref> ''The Deluge'' was a headliner by the company, until it was replaced by [[Maxim Gorky]]'s ''[[The Lower Depths]]'' (August 1924)<ref name="potop"/> The artistic praise did not pay the bills, and touring elsewhere in Romania only made the financial picture worse. According to modernist author [[Mihail Sebastian]], the actors' commitment and the quality of the shows contrasted heavily with the venues they were touring. Sebastian referred to one of the latter as "once destined for Jewish [[pornography]]", and recounted how news of the Vilna Troupe "miracle" had spread by word of mouth.<ref name="msvilna">{{in lang|ro}} Mihail Sebastian, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081120040035/http://www.romanianjewish.org/db/pdf/nr277/speciala7.pdf]}} "Atitudini. Trupa din Vilna se reîntoarce" ("Attitudes. The Vilna Troupe Is Back")], ''Realitatea Evreiască'' nr. 277 (p. 1077)</ref> The situation was aggravated when the actors had to take a break from performing at the Jigniţa, following the death of its female owner, Sofia Lieblich. During that period, several actors left their temporary home in Romania, most of them settling in the [[United States]].<ref name="potop"/>  

Their fortunes were salvaged by a 1925 production of [[Osip Dymov (writer)|Osip Dymov]]'s ''Der zinger fun zayn troyer'' ("The Singer of His Sorrow"), created in collaboration with [[Jacob Sternberg]]'s troupe.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|p=128 ''et. seq.''}}</ref> The production was another critical success: writer [[Victor Eftimiu]] called it "a model of stylized realist theater",<ref> {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|p=131}}; {{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=276}}</ref> while dramatist [[Ion Marin Sadoveanu]] argued that it was comparable to "the best scenes" produced in [[France]] by the acclaimed director [[Jacques Copeau]].<ref name=pc276/> It was an unprecedented hit, and ran at length at Bucharest's Central Theater.<ref name=Bercovici-131> {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|p=131}}</ref> On their 40th show with the play, the actors were rewarded with portraits specially drawn by caricaturist [[Jacques Kapralik]].<ref name="potop"/> The company was by then also being reviewed by the modernist platform ''Integral'', and especially by its two main columnists, [[Ion Călugăru]] and [[M. H. Maxy]], both of whom later chose to become directly involved in its activities. Their initiative followed their dissatisfaction with the choice of ''Der zinger fun zayn troyer'' and in particular with Joseph Buloff's directing: the magazine accused Buloff of having "abused color in order to complete a null text."<ref name=pc276/> For a while, Călugăru replaced Mazo as director of the troupe, while Maxy provided the [[scenic design]] for several productions.<ref name=pc275/>

The positive reception indirectly helped establish close cultural connections between the newly-[[Jewish Emancipation|emancipated]] [[History of the Jews in Romania|Jewish-Romanian community]] and sections of the [[Romanians|ethnic Romanian]] majority. Cernat notes that this was in glaring contrast to a parallel phenomenon, "the recrudescence of [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] manifestations, particularly among the students".<ref name=pc275/> Solidarity with the company and the Jewish community at large was notably expressed by left-wingers such as Arghezi, [[Gala Galaction]], [[N. D. Cocea]] and ''Contimporanul'' editor [[Ion Vinea]].<ref name=pc277>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=277}}</ref> 

In an article for the leftist magazine ''[[Lupta]]'', Victor Eftimiu also expressed his opinion that the cultural renaissance heralded by the Troupe could enforce cultural patriotism and nationalism among Romanian Jews, and thus make "Jewishness" prove itself more worthy than "the braggadocios" of other nationalist discourses.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|pp=276–77}}</ref> Writing in the [[Warsaw]] Yiddish-language ''[[Literarishe Bleter]]'' during the run of ''Der zinger fun zayn troyer'', Joseph Buloff was amazed at the positive reception that Yiddish theater received among the gentiles of Bucharest. Buloff noted that the Romanian actor [[Tanţi Cutava]] was equally comfortable acting in [[French language|French]] and Yiddish as in his native Romanian, that he often heard ethnic Romanians singing songs from the Yiddish theater over a glass of wine, and that Romanian writers and artists invited Yiddish actors to their get-togethers, all of which apparently formed a stark contrast to Warsaw at that time.<ref name=Bercovici-131 /> Following the November 1924 establishment of an ''Amicii teatrului evreiesc'' (''Friends of the Jewish Theatre'') association designed to help the troupe recover from its financial slump,<ref name="potop"/> several such clubs were set up by Jews and non-Jews in various Romanian localities.<ref name=pc275/>

The company also registered success when, in late 1925, it decided to reinstate ''The Deluge'' as its headliner. Apparently, the production was the work of several directors, and underwent significant changes from one staging to another, in both direction and assignment of roles.<ref name="potop"/> It earned further praise from critics, especially after Luba Kadison replaced Orleska in the play's sole female role. (Buloff and Leib Kadison, who had been assigned the title roles in the original variant, had by then withdrawn.)<ref name="potop"/> ''Der zinger fun zayn troyer'' and ''The Deluge'' were followed by successful Bucharest productions of [[David Pinsky]]'s ''Melech David un zaine Froien'' (''King David and His Women'') and Tolstoy's ''[[The Living Corpse]]''. Pressured, in part, by a 32% tax on performances by foreign troupes, by the end of 1925, the troupe had decided to reconstitute themselves as a Bucharest-based troupe, taking the Romanian-language name ''Dramă şi Comedie''.<ref> {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|p=132}}</ref>

==''Dramă şi Comedie''==
"The wandering troupe from Vilna will stay put... after an era of prolonged touring", reported ''Integral''. "They will fix on a program, which will no longer oscillate between melodrama and an expressionist mural. Apparently, the prospect launched today is precise: a new group tending to go along the route of modern innovation. 'No compromise with lack of taste—no compromise with bad taste': a shout that justifies an existence and would be worthy of realization."<ref>''Integral'' nr. 6-7/1925, quoted in {{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998|pp=132–33}} Partly rendered in {{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=275}}</ref>

The "no compromise" slogan came from the statement of program, really more of an artistic [[manifesto]], with which the reconstituted group launched itself. The same document also declared the troupe's intent "to offer the masses and intellectuals simultaneously an institution of culture". The new troupe included such actors as Braz, Kadison, Lares, Orleska, Stein, Buloff, Kamen, Waislitz, Sheftel, and the Kadisons from the 1923 roster, plus Noemi Nathan, Yokheved Waislitz,<!--I presume this is a different person from Benjamin Ehrenkrantz --> Jehuda Ehrenkranz, Samuel Iris, Simkhe Natan, Sholom Schönbaum, Henry Tarlo, and Simi Weinstock.<ref name=Bercovici>{{Harvnb|Bercovici|1998}}</ref>

However, Dramă şi Comedie would play only one full season of theater (1925–26), with some remnants struggling on another year. Their productions, beginning with [[Alter Kacyzne]]'s ''Der dukus'' ("The Duke") and including [[Nikolai Gogol]]'s ''[[Marriage (play)|Marriage]]'',<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe"/> were critically acclaimed, but never matched the commercial success of ''Der zinger fun zayn troyer''.<ref name=Bercovici /> Directed by Sternberg, and endorsed by writers Arghezi, [[Felix Aderca]] and [[Alfred Hefter|Alfred Hefter-Hidalgo]], the ''Marriage'' production was also at the center of a dispute in the literary community, due to its innovative aesthetics. ''Integral'' reacted when some spoke of it as an example of the [[Constructivism (art)|constructivist]] "pure theatre" guidelines theorized by ''Contimporanul'', and instead explained it as an example of "synthetic" theatre.<ref name=pc276/> 

During that period, the staging of ''Ger tzedek'' was criticized by ''Contimporanul'' chronicler [[Sergiu Milorian]], who saw in it proof that traditional "Yiddishist" plays were "unperformable", while arguing that the contribution of painter Arthur Kolnik in "the science" of scenic design was the show's only merit.<ref name=pc279>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=279}}</ref> After the sudden and unexpected death of actress [[Judith Lares]], director Mazo left for Warsaw, and then Vilna. The troupe continued briefly with [[Luigi Pirandello]]'s ''Man, Beast, and Virtue'' in the 1926–27 season.<ref name=Bercovici />

==Return to Poland==
After the financial failure of the society that supported ''Dramă şi Comedie'', the troupe returned to calling itself the Vilna Troupe, continuing at first in Bucharest, where Joseph Buloff directed his adaptation of "Shabtsi Tsvi" (Sabbatai Zevi; based on Sholem Asch's play of the same title and [[Jerzy Żuławski]]'s ''The End of the Messiah''), and then embarking on a tour of the Romanian provinces.<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe">Zylberzweig, Zalmen (ed.). "[https://archive.org/stream/nybc201089#page/n369/mode/1up Vilner trupe]" (in Yiddish). ''Leksikon fun yidishn teater''. Vol. 1. New York: Elisheva, 1931. cols. 704-717; here: 711-712.</ref> In mid 1926 Buloff and Luba Kadison left the troupe and, at the invitation of [[Maurice Schwartz]],  emigrated to the United States, where they joined Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre in New York.<ref>Zylberzweig, Zalmen (ed.). "[https://archive.org/details/nybc201089/page/n92/mode/2up Bulov (Bulkin), Yoysef]." ''Leksikon fun yidishn teater'' (in Yiddish). Vol. 1. New York: Elisheva, 1931. cols. 151-152.</ref> The rest of the troupe returned to Bucharest, and then went to Cernăuți (Czernowitz; Chernivtsi), where A. Stein directed a production of [[Leonid Andreyev]]'s play "Der gedank" (Thought).<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe"/>  

Shortly later Stein and other members left the troupe, and the remaining members returned to Poland, where they first toured the Galician provinces, then settled for a time in [[Lviv|Lwów]] (Lemberg; Lviv, Ukraine), in 1927. The troupe at this time consisted of Miriam Orleska, Chava Eisen, Chaim Brakarz, David Herman, [[Rachel Holzer]], Haber, Jacob and Yokheved Waislitz, Simkhe Weinstock, M. Mazo, Abraham Morewski, Naomi and Simkhe Nathan, Joseph Kamen, and Nadia Kareni.<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe"/> In Lwów David Herman staged and directed Jacob Preger's ''Der nisoyen'' (The Temptation), in August 1927; and in October, "Yehudis un Holofernes", a Yiddish adaptation of [[Christian Friedrich Hebbel|Friedrich Hebbel]]'s ''[[Judith (Hebbel)|Judith]]''.<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe"/> 

The troupe then traveled to Kraków, and finally to Warsaw, where they began performing at the Elysium Theater on 22 March 1928, with the following actors: Miriam Orleska, Dovid Birnboym, Helena Gotlib, Esther Goldenberg, Zalmen Hirshfeld, Jacob Waislitz, Ruth Taru, David Licht, Yankev Mansdorf, Naomi and Simkhe Nathan, A. Samberg, Joseph Kamen and Dina Koenig (Kamen), Yankev Kurlender, Batsheva Kremer, Esther Rappel, Perl Ruth, and Shmuel Sheftel.<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe"/> In May 1928 Michael Weichert staged and directed an epic production of Sholem Asch's ''Kidesh hashem'', with set designs by Władysław Weintraub and music by [[Henech Kon]]; hugely popular with audiences, it was performed about 250 times.<ref>Mickutė, Jolanta, "The Vilner Trupe, 1916–30: A Transformation of Shund Theater—For the Sake of National Politics or High Art?" ''Jewish Social Studies'', Vol. 22, No. 3 (Spring/Summer 2017), pp. 98-135; here: 118.</ref> In October of the same year, David Herman staged and directed [[Isaac Leib Peretz|I. L. Peretz]]'s ''Bay nakht afn altn mark'' (At Night in the Old Marketplace), with stage design by Weintraub, music by Joseph Kaminski, and choreography by Leah Rotbaum.<ref name="Zylbercweig-VilnerTrupe"/>

==Later years==
There were several later revivals of the Vilna Troupe in [[New York City]]. The first of these was a revival of ''The Dybbuk'' at the Grand Theater in April 1926.<ref>Untitled item, ''The New York Times'', April 7, 1926. p. 26.</ref> In late summer 1926 they were at the Liptzin Theater performing ''Rasputin and the Czarina''.<ref>"75 years ago", ''The Forward'', August 31, 2001; {{cite web |url=http://www.forward.com/issues/2001/01.08.31/lookingback.html |title=FORWARD : Looking Back |access-date=2005-01-23 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011107230731/http://www.forward.com/issues/2001/01.08.31/lookingback.html |archive-date=November 7, 2001 }}</ref> 

In March 1929, they were playing [[Chone Gottesfeld]]'s ''Parnose'' ("Business") in The Bronx, New York. The production moved in May to the [[Village East by Angelika|Yiddish Folks Theater]] at [[Second Avenue (Manhattan)|Second Avenue]] and East 12th Street, near the center of New York's main [[Yiddish Theater District]] of the time.<ref> Advertisement, ''The New York Times'', March 2, 1929, p. 21 says they are performing at the Intimate Playhouse, 180th St. & Boston Road in the Bronx. A further ad March 16, 1929, p. 24, quotes a testimonial from [[Eddie Cantor]]. "Theatrical Notes", May 16, 1929, p. 39, states that the production is moving to the "Yiddish Folks Theater".</ref> Director [[Jakob Rotbaum]] began his professional career staging [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s works with the troupe in 1930.<ref>{{Harvnb|Steinlauf|1993}}</ref>

Shows continued to be produced in Bucharest under the Vilna Troupe name even after 1927. Following the breakup of Dramă şi Comedie, a play ''The Flood'' was put on at the [[Baraşeum]] theater, which was loosely the story of the Vilna troupe.<ref name=Bercovici /> In a March 1929 article for ''[[Cuvântul]]'' newspaper, [[Mihail Sebastian]] announced that the company was returning to Bucharest.<ref name="msvilna"/> In early 1930, company actors also staged Peretz's ''A Night in the Old Marketplace'', later described by Crohmălniceanu as one of the "memorable dates in the history of European Yiddish theater", alongside 1925's ''Der zinger fun zayn troyer''.<ref name=pc276/> The production, directed by Sternberg, was the subject of a "literary trial" in the intellectual community: Sternberg's radical modernist approach was scrutinized by the more reserved authors [[Camil Petrescu]] and [[Barbu Lăzăreanu]], but their accusations were denied merit by a pro-avant-garde group comprising Maxy, [[Sandu Tudor]] and [[Ilarie Voronca]].<ref name=pc277/> References to the troupe and its role were also present in Maxy's overview of modernist performances in Romania, published by ''[[unu]]''<!-- sic (no upper case initial) --> magazine in February 1931.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cernat|2007|p=273}}</ref> 

In January of the following year, the fate of the company was also discussed by Sebastian, in his column for ''Cuvântul''. The writer, who had followed the Vilna Troupe's activities over the previous decade, was reviewing [[Joseph Kamen]]'s return to the Romanian stage with another group of actors. Remembering his impression of the original troupe's shows, Sebastian spoke of its "melancholic destiny": "ever since then, death, dissipation and perhaps fatigue have passed through all these things. [J]udith Lares, who sleeps her eternal sleep in some town in [[Transylvania]]. [Buloff], who confronts an infamous public in America. Stein, lost in some place I don't recall."<ref name="potop"/> 

The company disbanded again in 1931.<ref name=Downes/> Still, several members of the troupe continued on occasion to perform together in the United States. In September 1936, [[Sonia Alomis]], [[Alexander Asro]] and [[Noah Nachbush]] performed a program of short pieces at the [[New School for Social Research]], which ''[[The New York Times]]'' said "remind[ed] us that they are still an active force in [Jewish] theater."<ref name="nytprog">W.S., "A Yiddish Program", ''The New York Times'', September 28, 1936, p. 14</ref> Among the plays performed were Sholem Aleichem's ''Kapores'', [[Mikhail Artsybashev]]'s one-act ''Jealousy'', [[Yosef Tunkel|Der Tunkeler]]'s ''Should I Marry, or Shouldn't I?'', and Veviorke's ''A Philosopher—A Drunkard''.<ref name="nytprog"/> Several members of the troupe participated in a 1937 New York revival of ''The Dybbuk'', directed again by David Herman.<ref name=Downes />

The Vilna Troupe's success with ''The Deluge'' had made various Romanian intellectuals seek to preserve the text in a Romanian-language translation. This was first attempted in 1928 by an author named Iosif Vanciu, but its staging by the [[National Theatre Cluj-Napoca|National Theatre Cluj]] received bad reviews. <ref name="potop"/> During the final stages of [[World War II]], following the [[1944 Romanian coup d'état]], the project was resumed by Baraşeum and Sebastian, resulting in a loose adaptation based not on Berger's original, but on the text as performed by the Vilna Troupe. In his stage program for the play, Sebastian offered additional praise to his predecessors, but noted that, although "excellent", the Vilna Troupe's text had to be adapted for being too "sketchy".<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Mihail Sebastian, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081012003317/http://www.romanianjewish.org/db/pdf/nr280_281/speciala4-5.pdf "''Potopul''. Programul de sală" ("''The Deluge''. Stage program")]}}, ''Realitatea Evreiască'' nr. 280-81 (1080-81)</ref>

==Members==
* Sonia Alomis<ref name=NY-dybbuk>"Vilna Troupe give odd Yiddish drama", ''The New York Times'', January 29, 1924. Review of the Vilna Troupe's NY premier of ''The Dybbuk'', including a cast list. [http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/yw-lyt-vilna-troupe-01.htm Reproduced online] at Museum of Family History, accessed online 2008-11-06.</ref> (alternatively Alumes)<ref>''The New York Times'', April 7, 1926, p. 26, in a quick note of a revival of ''The Dybbuk'' at the Grand Theater.</ref>
*[[Alexander Asro]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk /> (also spelled Aleksandr Azro)<ref name=levitan-caption>[http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/vilna/vilna_pages/vilna_stories_kadison.html Caption of a 1918 photo of troupe members], http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com. Accessed online 2008-11-06.</ref><!-- Levitan is a slightly weak citation: appears to be a personal project, but it is clearly an extensive, well-researched site on pre-Holocaust Eastern European Jewry. -->
*[[Jacob Bleifer]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Joseph Buloff]]<ref name=Pascal/>
*[[Moses Feder]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Joseph Green (actor)|Joseph Green]] (originally surnamed Greenberg)<ref name=Edelman/><ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
* David Herman (director)
* Leib Kadison<ref name=Pascal/><ref name=levitan-caption/>
*[[Luba Kadison]]<ref name=Pascal/>
* Joseph Kamen
*[[Matus Kowalski]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Jacob Lubotsky]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
* Mordechai Mazo<ref name=levitan-caption/>
* Abraham Morewski
* Noah Nachbush<ref name=NY-dybbuk/><ref name=levitan-caption/>
*[[Lea Naomi]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Miriam Orleska]]
*[[Chaim Shneier]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/> (also known as Chaim Hamerow)<ref name=levitan-caption/>
*[[Eliosha Stein]]<ref name=levitan-caption/>
*[[Sholem Tanin]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Miriam Veide]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Freda Vitalin]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>
*[[Pola Walter]]<ref name=NY-dybbuk/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{citation
|last=Bercovici
|first=Israil
|author-link=Israil Bercovici
|title=O sută de ani de teatru evreiesc în România ("One hundred years of Yiddish/Jewish theater in Romania")
|edition=2nd Romanian-language edition, revised and augmented by Constantin Măciucă
|publisher=Editura Integral (an imprint of Editurile Universala)
|place=Bucharest
|year=1998
|isbn=973-98272-2-5
|pages=125–43}}
*{{citation
|last=Caplan
|first=Debra
|author-link=Debra Caplan
|title=Yiddish Empire: The Vilna Troupe, Jewish Theater, and the Art of Itinerancy
|place=Ann Arbor
|year=2018
|isbn=9780472037254}}
* {{citation
|last=Cernat
|first=Paul
|author-link=Paul Cernat
|title=Avangarda românească şi complexul periferiei: primul val ("The Romanian avant-garde and the peripheral complex: the first wave")
|publisher=[[Cartea Românească]]
|place=Bucharest
|year=2007
|isbn=978-973-23-1911-6}}
* {{citation
|last=Edelman
|first=Rob
|title=Joseph Green: 'I Knew Exactly What I Wanted'
|periodical=[[The Forward]]
|date=2003-01-10
|url=http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.01.10/arts4.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030208145427/http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.01.10/arts4.html
|archive-date=February 8, 2003
|url-status=dead
}} 
* {{citation
|first = James
|last= Fisher
|title= The Theater of Tony Kushner: Living Past Hope
|publisher= [[Routledge]]
|year=2002
|isbn=0-415-94271-3}}
*{{citation
|last=Liptzin
|first=Sol
|year=1972
|title=A History of Yiddish Literature
|publisher=Jonathan David Publishers
|place=Middle Village, NY
|isbn=0-8246-0124-6
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofyiddish00lipt
}}
* {{citation
|first = David
|last = Mazower
|date=2005-04-19
|url = http://yiddish.haifa.ac.il/tmr/tmr09/tmr09005.htm
|title=A. Henryk Berlewi<nowiki>[Henrik Berlevi]</nowiki> (1894–1967)  
|periodical =The Mendele Review: Yiddish Literature and Language (A Companion to Mendele)
|volume = 9
|issue = 5
|access-date=2008-11-06}}
* Mickutė, Jolanta (Spring/Summer 2017), "The Vilner Trupe, 1916–30: A Transformation of Shund Theater—For the Sake of National Politics or High Art?" ''Jewish Social Studies'', Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 98-135. {{doi|10.2979/jewisocistud.22.3.04}}
* {{citation
|first = Julia
|last=Pascal
|date=2006-05-19
|title=Obituary: Luba Kadison
|periodical=[[The Guardian]]
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/may/19/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries
|access-date=2008-11-06}}
* {{citation
|title = European Culture in the Great War: The Arts, Entertainment and Propaganda, 1914-1918
|last1 = Roshwald
|first1 = Aviel
|author-link=Aviel Roshwald
|last2 = Stites 
|first2 = Richard 
|publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]
|year = 2002
|isbn =0-521-01324-0}}
*{{citation
|last1 =Roskies
 | first1 =David G.
 | last2 =Werman
 | first2 =Golda 
 | year =2002
 | contribution = Introduction
 | editor-last =Roskies
 | editor-first =David G.
 | editor2-last =Werman
 | editor2-first =Golda 
 | title =The Dybbuk and Other Writings by S. Ansky
 | publisher =[[Yale University Press]]
 | isbn =0-300-09250-4}}
* {{citation
|first = M.
|last = Steinlauf
|date=1993-11-23
|url = http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/languages/yiddish/mendele/vol3.142
|title=International Conference on Jewish Theater in Poland
|periodical =Mendele: Yiddish Literature and Language
|volume = 3
|issue = 142
|access-date=2008-11-06}}
* Zylberzweig, Zalmen, ed. (1931). "[https://archive.org/stream/nybc201089#page/n367/mode/1up Vilner trupe]" (in Yiddish). ''Leksikon fun yidishn teater''. Vol. 1. New York: Elisheva. cols. 704-717

==External links==
{{commonscatinline|Wilna troup}}
*[http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/vilna/before/theatre.asp?WT.mc_id=wiki Jewish Theatre in Vilna in the Interwar Period] on the [[Yad Vashem]] website

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Yiddish theatre]]
[[Category:Expressionist theatre]]
[[Category:Romanian avant-garde]]
[[Category:Modernist theatre]]
[[Category:History of Vilnius]]
[[Category:Jewish history in Warsaw]]
[[Category:History of Bucharest]]
[[Category:Cultural history of New York City]]
[[Category:Jewish Russian and Soviet history]]
[[Category:Jewish Lithuanian history]]
[[Category:History of the Jews in the Second Polish Republic]]
[[Category:Jewish Romanian history]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in New York City]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in Vilnius]]
[[Category:Theatre companies in Poland]]
[[Category:Theatre in Russia]]
[[Category:Theatre in Lithuania]]
[[Category:Theatre in Romania]]
[[Category:Arts organizations established in 1915]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 1931]]
[[Category:1915 establishments in Lithuania]]
[[Category:1931 disestablishments in Romania]]
[[Category:Yiddish culture in Lithuania]]