Folksbiene, The National Yiddish Theatre, will perform at North Shore Towers on Thursday, July 23 as part of an event being presented by the Migdal Chapter of Hadassah.
Migdal Board Member Lilly Cohen reached out to Folksbiene after seeing the group perform at Queensborough Community College and asked about bringing them to the Towers. Folksbiene Associate Artistic Director Motl Didner explained that they have a comprehensive outreach program and that they “routinely bring shows to communities throughout the northeast.”
This will be the first time that Folksbiene has performed at North Shore Towers. Didner said that they are “always pleased” to be able to reach new communities.
Didner has been to North Shore Towers for a site visit to prepare for the July performance, which will be held in the cooperative’s movie theatre. He said that this is the first time the group has performed in a movie theatre setting.
Although Folksbiene was founded in 1915, it began doing outreach in 2004. Didner, who has been with the company since 2003, said that it “is here to make sure that Yiddish theatre and Yiddish music and the Yiddish language will continue and serve as a vital part of Jewish cultural life.”
At the Towers, six performers will be in the show “Mama’s Loshn Kudgel,” which will be half comedy show and half musical theatre show.
“It’s sort of a Yiddish variety show,” Didner said. “It’s a little taste of everything.”
Didner said that, as a performer and director, his biggest motivation is to connect with the audience. However, he also said that it is good to see the audience and know that they are there to support the host organization.
The event at North Shore Towers will also mark the first time that Folksbiene has presented a show for Hadassah.
“It’s certainly a cause we believe in and we try to partner with other Jewish organizations regularly,” Didner said. “It’s certainly good to know we’re helping Hadassah this time.”
The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the North Shore Towers Cinema on Thursday, July 23. It will be in Yiddish with English translation super titles.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased only with checks, which should be made out to Hadassah. Due to limited seating, it is recommended that they be purchased in advance.
Tickets can be purchased at the Greenthal Property Sales office, which is located in the arcade level of Building Two.
Orders and checks can also be mailed to Dinofsky/Migdal, 26910 Grand Central Parkway, #28B, Floral Park, NY 11005. Individuals mailing in orders should include their name, address and telephone number.
In order to allow for ticket delivery, mail orders must be posted by July 14.
For more information, call 718-631-5229 or 718-423-2353 or send an e-mail to migdalns@optonline.net.
To find out more about Folksbiene, visit www.folksbiene.org.
