Jewish Theatres in Warsaw between the Wars (1918–1939)

Edward Krasiński

Abstract

Although Jewish theatre in Warsaw can be considered to date back to David Hellin’s theatre, operating in 1837, it had not flourished until the late 19th century. At that time, Ester Rachel and Abraham Kamiński created a permanent professional theatre company, and in 1913 they opened their own theatre, whose tradition was continued by their daughter Ida. The article discusses the most important performances of Jewish theatres, their repertoires, technical and financial conditions, as well as archival and press sources for researching the history of Jewish theatre in Warsaw before World War II. The Vilna Troupe and the Warsaw Jewish Art Theatre WIKT performed ambitious plays, Jewish classics, and contemporary world drama. Michal Weichert ran the experimental Jung Teater, which had political ambitions. Numerous if short-lived kleynkunst theatres, revues and cabarets were created. Most Yiddish theatres were located next to Polish ones, but there were also theatres in the Jewish quarter, such as Centralny and Scala. The relationship between Polish and Jewish theatre life should be considered on multiple levels, with regard to audiences, repertoires, and criticism, as well as collaboration between theatres and artists.