Yiddish Theatre District

Yiddish Theatre District
District
Picture of poster with worn edges and yiddish writing
poster for The Yiddish King Lear
Country United States
StateNew York State
CityNew York City
Boroughs of New York CityManhattan

The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, between Houston Street and East 14th Street in the East Village in Manhattan.[1][2][3][4][5] The District hosted performances in Yiddish of Jewish, Shakespearean, classic, and original plays, comedies, operettas, and dramas, as well as vaudeville, burlesque, and musical shows.[3][6][7]

By World War I, the Yiddish Theatre District was cited by journalists Lincoln Steffens, Norman Hapgood, and others as the best in the city. It was the leading Yiddish theater district in the world.[1][8][9][10] The District's theaters hosted as many as 20 to 30 shows a night.[7]

After World War II, however, Yiddish theater became less popular.[11] By the mid-1950s few theaters were still extant in the District.[12]

  1. ^ a b Andrew Rosenberg, Martin Dunford (2012). The Rough Guide to New York City. Penguin. ISBN 9781405390224. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  2. ^ Let's Go, Inc (2006). Let's Go New York City 16th Edition. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312360870. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Oscar Israelowitz (2004). Oscar Israelowitz's guide to Jewish New York City. Israelowitz Publishing. ISBN 9781878741622. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  4. ^ Cofone, Annie (September 13, 2010). "Theater District; Strolling Back Into the Golden Age of Yiddish Theater". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  5. ^ "East Village/Lower East Side Re-zoning; Environmental Impact Study; Chapter 7: Historic Resources" (PDF). 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  6. ^ Cofone, Annie (June 8, 2012). "Strolling Back Into the Golden Age of Yiddish Theater". The Local – East Village. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Yiddish music maven sees mamaloshen in mainstream". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. November 28, 1997. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  8. ^ "Yiddish Theater District June 3 Walking Tour". Lower East Side Preservation Initiative. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  9. ^ Sussman, Lance J. "Jewish History Resources in New York State". nysed.gov. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  10. ^ Ronald Sanders (1979). The Lower East Side: A Guide to Its Jewish Past With 99 New Photographs. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486238715. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  11. ^ J. Katz (September 29, 2005). "O'Brien traces history of Yiddish theater". Campus Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  12. ^ Lana Gersten (July 29, 2008). "Bruce Adler, 63, Star of Broadway and Second Avenue". Forward. Retrieved March 10, 2013.