By Paula Prilutski, adapted and translated by Allen Lewis Rickman, directed by Kevin Place
Monday, April 6, 7:00 PM
When Judith, still reeling from the loss of her mother, clashes with her father’s new wife, she rebels against the patriarchy and is thrown out of her home. With no options available, the strong-willed Judith makes choices she will forever regret; and despite her best efforts and the help of family and friends, Judith finds herself unable to escape the chains of her history.
Playwright Bio: Paula Prilutski (1876 – unknown) was one of the very few women playwrights in the Yiddish theater to have been identified. Born in Warsaw, Prilutski originally wrote in Polish and switched to Yiddish after being introduced to the Yiddish Theater scene in Poland. In addition to full-length plays, she wrote one-act plays and poetry. One of Those was originally presented by the legendary Esther-Rokhl Kaminska — “The Mother of Yiddish Theater” —in Warsaw in 1912. Prilutski’s fate during World War II remains unknown to this day.
Translator Bio: Allen Lewis Rickman is a playwright, director and actor. His work has been presented in six languages and produced internationally. He adapted, directed and wrote supertitle translations for three plays in Yiddish for the Folksbiene and two for New Yiddish Rep. Rickman has had a long career in theater, television and film. His numerous acting credits include Relatively Speaking on Broadway and award-winning television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as well as a significant amount of work in Yiddish Theater.
Why this play?
One of Those is a forgotten gem of the Yiddish Theater, recently given new life through Allen Lewis Rickman’s beautiful adaptation and translation which was presented as a staged reading by YIVO in May of 2018. Much like Sholem Asch’s well-known play, God of Vengeance, One of Those features prostitutes and brothels, frequent subjects of Yiddish Theater. However, Prilutski’s characters all possess a flawed dignity (arguably more so than the characters created by her male peers), which elevate them from mere symbols to complex characters. Without a doubt, Prilutski’s epic, proto-feminist drama was ahead of its time when she wrote it in 1912. We feel strongly that it still has something to say about independent women living in an un-free world today.
The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.