Jewish actors

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Celia Adler and Lazar Freed, including theatrical materials such as scripts, programs and sheet music, correspondence, newspaper clippings, assorted publications, and photographs of many of the members of the Adler family and their friends from the Yiddish theater. These materials reflect the wide scope of the Adler acting family and their immense influence on Yiddish theater, Broadway and motion pictures.

The collection contains play manuscripts, programs, playbills, posters, photographs, correspondence, agreements, scrapbooks, clippings, printed ephemera, and memorabilia relating to Yiddish theater primarily in the early twentieth century, especially the interwar period. Also included are items of printed ephemera related to Yiddish film, Hebrew theater, and a broad range of Jewish performers, including cantors, singers and dancers. Geographically, the materials originate predominantly in Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe, including parts of the Russian Empire and, later, the Soviet Union; and, to a lesser extent, the United States, especially New York City. Also included are materials from Western Europe, Palestine (Eretz Israel), South America, and other regions around the world. Among the theater personalities represented in the collection with significant amounts of material are Herz Grossbard, David Herman, Joseph Winogradoff, Rudolf Zaslavsky, Zygmunt Turkow, Jonas Turkow, Moyshe Lipman, Ida Kaminska, and Esther Rachel Kaminska. The theater groups best represented include the Varshever Yidisher Kunst-Teater (VYKT; Warsaw Yiddish Art Theater), founded by Zygmunt Turkow and Ida Kaminska; the Vilna Troupe; Yung Teater / Nay Teater (Warsaw; Vilna), under the direction of Michael Weichert; the Moscow State Yiddish Theater (known by its Russian acronym "GOSET"); Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre, of New York; and the Hebrew theater "Habimah." A wide variety of other professional as well as amateur theater groups are represented with smaller amounts of material.

The Fred Halbers Collection documents the life and work of the actor, artist, and writer Fred Halbers. The main subjects of the collection are his life, his writing and his artwork, although material concerning other members of the family is also present. The collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, clippings, official documents, notes, some photographs, negatives and slides.

This collection documents the life and work of Frederick (Fritz) Ritter, an actor, writer, and academic. Included are manuscripts of published and unpublished writings, articles, reviews, clippings, notes, personal documents, and photographs.

The Yidisher Artistn Fareyn, or Yiddish Actors' Union, advocated for actors' economic interests while striving to create a professionally run, artistically ambitious, Yiddish theatrical scene in Warsaw. From 1919-1938, its influence gradually increased until it included the majority of actors working in Poland, and collaborated with the most significant Polish Yiddish cultural figures and institutions, including E. R. Kaminska, YIVO, Literarishe Bleter, and the Landrat, or National Council of Class Trade Unions (Krajowa Rada Klasowych Związków Zawodowych). This collection contains records of annual conventions, Executive Committee meetings, correspondence with actors and theaters from Poland and around the world, and membership files on almost 600 actors.

The papers relate to Ben-Ami's theatrical career and include playscripts, programs and playbills, posters and clippings, personal documents, photographs.

The collection of Jacob Mestel consists of the general, professional and personal correspondence of Jacob Mestel, manuscripts of plays by other authors, manuscripts of poetry, essays and plays by Jacob Mestel, translations of plays into Yiddish, production material, clippings, theater programs, personal documents, and theater photographs.

Manuscripts and some printed copies of Yiddish plays. Photographs.

The papers relate to Kadison's theatrical career and personal life. Art works: original stage designs for the Yiddish theater; drawings of stage characters; portraits of the Kadison family; miscellaneous drawings. Photographs of the Vilna Troupe including scenes of performances. Individual and group photographs of troupe members, including photographs of Luba Kadison and Joseph Buloff. Photographs of Leib Kadison and family. Programs of Vilna Troupe productions. Clippings, theater posters.

The papers relate primarily to Oppenheim's acting career and include correspondence, personal documents, scripts of plays, sheet music, and photographs.

Correspondence with Yiddish literary figures and Jewish institutions. Included are Shalom Asch, David Bergelson, Menahem Boraisha, Daniel Charney, Solomon Dingol, Ossip Dymow, Jacob Glatstein, Moses (Moyshe) Leib Halpern, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Peretz Hirschbein, David Ignatoff, Judah A. Joffe, Alter Kacyzne, Leon Kobrin, Leibush Lehrer, H. Leivick, Raphael Mahler, Kalman Marmor, Jacob Mestel, Shmuel Niger, Joseph Opatoshu, David Pinsky, Zalman Reisen, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Elias Tcherikower, Max Weinreich, Chaim Zhitlowsky, Zalmen Zylbercweig. Manuscripts of Elkin's memoirs, plays and adaptations. Manuscripts of plays by others. Elkin's articles about the theater. Photographs of Elkin and friends. Drawings of characters in Amnon and Tamar, produced by the Vilna Troupe.

Correspondence, personal documents, reviews, clippings, playscripts, programs, posters, and photographs relating to Preiss's career.

Manuscript of the memoirs of Vera Zaslavska. Manuscript of the memoirs of Misha Fishzon, titled Untern forhang fun yidish teater (Behind the Curtain of the Yiddish Theater). Playscripts. Photographs of Vera Zaslavska, Misha Fishzon, Jewish actors in Russia and Romania, the Lyric Theater in New York. Clippings, including obituaries.

Photographs, scripts, playbills, musical scores, correspondence, recordings, plaques, and art objects relating to Picon's theatrical career. Personal photographs of Picon and her husband Jacob Kalich. Photographs of Picon in various stage and film productions including the films Fiddler on the Roof, East and West, Mamele, Yidl mitn fidl, Milk and Honey, and the plays Kuni Leml, Motel Payse. Manuscripts of plays including Shmendrik and Yankele. Music by Abe Ellstein, Mordecai Gebirtig, Abraham Goldfaden, Molly Picon, Joseph Rumshinsky. Playbills and programs from films and theater. Scrapbook of correspondence, theater tickets. Recordings of songs performed by Picon. Plaques, citations, awards. Original art items including portraits, illustrations and cartoons on various topics, many of them studies of Picon.

Materials relate to the Yiddish theater. Manuscripts of two plays: Hotsmakh shpil, Der farkishefter shnayderl. Clippings relating to actors, photographs, miscellaneous programs, announcements.

Correspondence, playbills, posters, contracts relating to Jewish actors, theater ensembles and cantors performing in England, 1930s-1940s. Included are materials on Moshe Koussevitsky, Maurice Schwartz, Boris Thomashefsky, Berele Chagy.

Memoirs by Schorr of his theatrical career. Manuscripts of Schorr's plays. Correspondence, speeches, articles.

This collection contains manuscripts of some of the earliest Yiddish plays, correspondence between playwright, poet, and director Abraham Goldfaden, the father of Yiddish theater, and various actors and writers, as well as some family correspondence, newspaper clippings on Goldfaden and his impact on Yiddish theater, articles by Goldfaden on a variety of topics, and various other theater materials, such as title pages of plays, programs and song sheets. The collection illustrates Goldfaden’s great and ongoing influence on Yiddish theater.

The papers relate to the careers of Asro and Alomis in the Yiddish theater and to their work with the Vilna Troupe. Correspondence and other documents relating to the establishment of the Vilna Troupe. Playscripts, programs, photographs, reviews, memorabilia. Reproductions and original art works by Asro, consisting of drawings, prints, paintings, sketches, theater designs.

The papers include playscripts by Shor and by others, sheet music, personal documents, materials relating to Weissman's activities in various charities, texts of her radio programs, materials from her agency, photographs.

Correspondence with family, friends, writers, organizations. Personal documents. Manuscripts of plays, some with director's annotations. Reviews of performances of the Vilna Troupe. Memoirs entitled Zikhroynes vegn der vilner trupe by Chaim Shneur, Bellarina's husband.

The collection relates to the theatrical careers of Bonus and Bern and consists primarily of printed and manuscript music and lyrics, and scripts of plays. Also includes photographs, flyers, programs, posters, and clippings.

Correspondence, clippings, contracts, playbills and photographs relating to Celia Adler's career.

The collection consists of scrapbooks containing programs, clippings, photographs, posters and reviews relating to Grober's career as a singer and actress.

The papers consist of Yiddish plays, skits.

Correspondence, manuscripts, posters, playbills, photographs. Manuscripts of plays. Correspondence with Shalom Asch, Peretz Hirschbein, Melech Ravitch. Photographs of Sara Herman. Obituaries.

The papers consist of manuscripts, typescripts, photographs, clippings, correspondence, programs, posters, personal documents and sheet music relating to David Licht's theatrical career.

The papers include correspondence, theater programs, photographs, clippings, personal documents.

The papers relate to H. Condell's theatrical career in Germany and in the U.S. Correspondence relating to work in the theater. Personal documents. Clippings of reviews and notices relating to productions of the Kultur Bund Teater in Berlin, 1930s. Clippings include reproductions of art work. Photographs of stage sets and designs. Original designs, including ink and paint on boards, for Bronx Express by Ossip Dymow and Nathan the Wise by Gerhard Lessing. Materials relating to L. Condell's theatrical career: correspondence, clippings, photos, reviews, programs, scripts, and personal documents.

The collection reflects Yablokoff's theatrical career and includes: sheet music to "Papirosn," "Gib mir op mayn harts," and other; scripts of Yiddish plays by Yablokoff and other playwrights; tapes of songs and performances; publicity and family photographs; plaques and certificates.