Yentl / Program (2024)

Page 1

29 FEB – 17 MAR
Malthouse acknowledges the unceded lands of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge their sovereignty and their Songlines. We pay respect to their Elders and their Children. We embrace and celebrate the oldest culture in the world.
#malthousetheatre #yentl Campaign Photography / Mark Gambino. Printed on 100% recycled paper. © Malthouse Theatre, the artists, designers, photographers, collaborators and contributors. All rights reserved, 2024.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Reading Isaac Bashevis Singer’s original short story was a revelation. Singer’s tale is dark—he writes of a world full of dybbuks, golems, and ghosts. His work reveals deep layers of Jewish mysticism, Judaic spirituality—and the Yiddish culture which informed so much of this new adaptation.

Yiddish is more than just a language. It is a culture with its own myths, characters, superstitions, stories, archetypes, and morals.

The team of co-writers and developers wanted to confront the complexities of this story head on and dive into its darkest corners, honouring the rich Yiddish traditions and ideas so prevalent in Singer’s work.

Jewish spiritual teaching presents the concept of the yeytser ho’re—one’s evil or destructive inclinations. The term ‘evil’ is misleading here; the yeytser ho’re is not morally bad or good. It’s simply that part of ourselves driven by need, and, if left unchecked, can tip over into selfdestructive and morally questionable behaviour.

The beautiful dichotomy of Yentl is that it is her pursuit of spiritual learning and higher purpose that ignites her destructive inclinations.

This dichotomy exists in the Judaic-Christian creation myth. The serpent that leads Eve

to taste the forbidden fruit of knowledge leads humanity to consciousness. Without that consciousness we would not be human. Jewish teachings are full of such conundrums and dichotomies. And Singer’s Yentl is a wonderful example of a character who, in striving for good, unleashes chaos.

I am very grateful to Elise, Galit, and Evelyn for their generosity and commitment while developing this script, and for the creative team who managed to realise visually and sonically the complexities of the content we explored. The work is undoubtably richer for the collaboration between us all. And to the exceptional cast—I cannot stress enough the level of hard work and perseverance required to learn another language in order to perform it with as much clarity and passion as they do.

I am thrilled that, in partnership with Malthouse, this work has another season and that more audiences across cultural, ethnic, religious and social groups can come together to discover the extraordinary character of Yentl and the rich cultural world they come from and inhabit.

KADIMAH YIDDISH THEATRE

Kadimah Yiddish Theatre (KYT) is the oldest theatre company in Australia, dating back to 1911 when the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre & National Library was established in Melbourne by Yiddish-speaking European immigrants. With award-winning Artistic Director Evelyn Krape and Executive Director Gary Abrahams at the helm, KYT has become Kadimah’s poster child and one of Melbourne’s most courageous and thoughtprovoking theatre companies. KYT is the only

PRODUCTION SUPPORTERS

contemporary bilingual Yiddish-English theatre company in Australia and one of only a handful around the world. KYT is a multi-award-winning company that has been celebrated for its unique voice, telling stories that are universal and relevant through a quintessentially Yiddish lens. KYT’s success reflects a global revival of Yiddish, recognised by UNESCO as an endangered language, and regarded as a symbol of resilience and identity for minority groups and subcultures worldwide.

A Kadimah Yiddish Theatre Production. Based on the original Yiddish short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Originating Producer Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre & National Library; Kadimah Yiddish Theatre.

CAST & CREATIVES

GENEVIEVE KINGSFORD (SHE/HER) CAST

HARRY DOWLING (HE/HIM) STAGE MANAGER

EVELYN KRAPE (SHE/HER) CAST

ROSEMARY OSMOND (SHE/HER) ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

DANN BARBER (HE/HIM) SET & COSTUME DESIGNER

GARY ABRAHAMS (HE/HIM) DIRECTOR & WRITER ELISE ESTHER HEARST (SHE/HER) WRITER GALIT KLAS (SHE/HER) WRITER

VIRGINIA PROUD (SHE/HER) ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

RACHEL BURKE (SHE/HER) LIGHTING DESIGNER

AMY HACK (SHE/HER) CAST

RUSSELL GOLDSMITH (HE/HIM) SOUND DESIGNER

NICHOLAS JAQUINOT (HE/HIM) CAST

JOSH REUBEN (HE/THEY) SUBTITLE OPERATOR

ADDITIONAL CREATIVES

NATALIA VELASCO MORENO (SHE/HER) BESEN FAMILY ARTIST PROGRAM RECIPIENT (LIGHTING)

MALTHOUSE STAFF & BOARD

BOARD

FIONA M c GAUCHIE (CHAIR)

JACOB VARGHESE (DEPUTY CHAIR)

JADA ALBERTS

DR ANNA FOLEY

LINDY HUME AM Ph D

ANDREW MYER AM

SUE PRESTNEY

PAMELA RABE

ALISON WHYTE

ALAN WONG

ALICE AMES (OBSERVER)

EXECUTIVE

MATTHEW LUTTON OAM

VIVIA HICKMAN

ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING

ANNIE BOURKE

BERNADETTE FAM

LAURA HALE

LAURA MILKE GARNER

MARLINE ZAIBAK

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

TRACEY HORSEY

LIZ WHITE

CONNIE STELLA

CAITLYN O’KANE

STEVE HEARNE

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

CLAIRE LA GRECA

JACQUI BATHMAN

AAYUSHI PARIKH

LAUREN GALLINA

PUBLICITY

TS PUBLICITY

GRAPHIC DESIGN

HOURS AFTER

DEVELOPMENT

DAVID DRYSDALE

PATRICK CRUMMY

EDUCATION

LYALL BROOKS

TICKETING & BOX OFFICE

PRUE SUTHERLAND

FIONA WISEMAN

BOX OFFICE STAFF

PAUL BUCKLEY

PERRI CUMMINGS

CLAIRE DUNCAN

CASEY GOULD

MELLITA ILICH

JULIA LANDBERG

BRIGID MEREDITH

ISA MUNHOS

LIZ WHITE

PRODUCTION

BLAIR HART

BAIRD M c KENNA

DEXTER VARLEY

COINTHA WALKEDEN

ROB BALLINGALL

MICHAEL CARR

BRENDAN JELLIE

DELIA SPICER

GOFFREDO MAMELI

ELIZABETH WHITTON

LENNON FOWLER

PRODUCTION STAFF

TAIT ADAMS

LEIA ALEX

ASH BASHAM

AL BRILL

SUZI BROOKS

NATHAN BURMEISTER

MYLES CAREW

EDWIN CHEAH

JUSTIN GARDAM

FINNIAN GLEESON

LUKE GRANA

KADIN HAWKER

PADDY HAY

JODI HOPE

ETHAN HUNTER

PATRICK JONES

KHISRAW JONES-SHUKOOR

JOSHUA MACKENZIE

NICOLAS MOLONEY

SAM NIX

ROSEMARY OSMOND

NICHOLAS PAGES-OLIVER

WILLIAM PALAZZO

CHRIS PAYNE

RHYS POTTINGER

ZOE RABB

CECILY RABEY

NATALYA SHIELD

DARREN THAO

EM VAN DYK

PHILIP WATT

OUNIE WITHEROW AITKEN

VENUE

DANIELLE GIORDANO

EMMA CORBETT

FIKER GEBREHANA

FRONT OF HOUSE STAFF

CARA BRODIE

MITCH BROTZ

LOUISA CARPINTERI

DANIELLE GODER

ZOE HADLER

GEORGE JEFFORD

SOPHIE M c CRAE

HAYLEY NEWMAN

TEXAS NIXON-KAIN

ELLIE ROTH

LUCY SEALE

EMMA SHAW

DARCIE SHORT

FLYNN SMEATON

BARNEY SPICER

KENNY WAITE

KATE WASHINGTON

HAYLEY WOLTERS

BAR STAFF

CAMERON BAJRAKTAREVICHAYWARD

ISSY COMEGNA

LEWIS EGAN

KIRRA NINER

RACHEL ROVIRA

ELLEIA RUSSELL

CLAUDE SARMIENTO

KAIVU SUVARNA

LACHIE WATTS

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