Theatre production raises awareness of the issue of anti semitism in the Jewish community, past and present
SCHENECTADY – Duel Voices Theater, New Russia Cultural Center’s theater production, will present the American premiere of Once Upon A Time in Anatevka, the adaptation of Grigory Gorin’s play, Memorial Prayer, and adapted into a tragicomedy by Sholem Aleichem.
Performances of the production will start Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m., and will run through Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m. inside the Adeline Wright Graham Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady, located at 104 Education Drive, Schenectady.
Tickets for the production cost $20 per-person at the door, and $15 for students. Tickets can be purchased online via Eventbrite.
Once Upon A Time in Anatevka is set in Central Ukraine in 1905. The play, adapted from Aleichem’s fictional story, follows the storyline of Tevye (played by Jack Fallon), his wife Golda (played by Jackie Amilivia), and their three daughters as they are set to marry their men. Despite the hardships, Tevye leans on his faith in God while meeting others in the eye in the face of adversity with dignity and a smile while Golda traverses through the struggle between tradition and personal happiness.
Aleichem, a Yiddish writer, was considered one of the greatest figures in Yiddish literature and was often referred to as the “Jewish Mark Twain”. According to Tanya Deptola of the New Russia Cultural Center, Aleichem’s works captured the essence of Jewish life in Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Once Upon A Time in Anatevka is a powerful play that addresses themes of tradition, change, and discrimination, particularly antisemitism. By showcasing the struggles faced by a Jewish family in a small Ukrainian village, the play sheds light on the impact of systemic prejudice and persecution.” Deptola explains. “It serves as a poignant reminder of the historical and ongoing challenges that Jewish communities face due to antisemitism.”
In fact, Duel Voices Theater and New Russia Cultural Center have placed the spotlight on anti-semitism through theater previously in their 2022 play, Berdichev, which followed Soviet Jews after the Holocaust.
In this current play, Fallon will deliver a monologue on the Jewish pale of settlement, as Tevye, in reference to antisemitism.
“So the Constable came to inform me that, it turns out, I lived here incorrectly. And my father, and great-grandfathers-everyone here is lying in their graves incorrectly. Because there is a line!The Constable drew a line on the ground with his saber and said: ‘Here you can live and here you can’t.’”
Deptola said that in order to raise awareness about antisemitism through the pay’s lens would be to attend and support the production.
In addition to both Fallon and Amilivia, fourteen additional cast members are included in the production which is directed by Andrei Kouznetsov-Maestro.
Kouznetsov-Maestro, also an actor, musician, composer, and teacher, is an alumnus of the prestigious Russian Academy of Theater Arts and has formed the Maestro School of Arts in New York.
Jonathan Tarpy, who plays the character Motl said he has enjoyed talking with the director about the backstories and inner lives of the characters in the production.
“People should see this show because of the cultural and historical implications and director Andrei Kouznetsov has done a fantastic job of pulling this show together.” Fallon said.
For more information on the production, Duel Voices Theater, and New Russia Cultural Center can go to www.newrussiacenter.org and to www.facebook.com/NewRussiaCenter.
