UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA IN YIDDISH CULTURE: A PERFORMANCE-SCREENING AND CONVERSATION

CUNY Graduate Center, Segal Theatre, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY

In an innovative blend of live music and cinema, renowned klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and celebrated silent-film pianist Donald Sosin perform their original compositions to selections from three Yiddish feature films: The Ancient Law (1923), The City Without Jews (1924), and The Man Without a World (1991). The performance-screening prompts a discussion on themes of utopia and dystopia running through Yiddish art and culture, featuring Zoe Beloff, associate professor of media studies at Queens College; Debra Caplan, associate professor of theatre at Baruch College; and Elyse Singer, doctoral candidate in the CUNY Graduate Center’s Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance. To be followed by a reception with artist Yevgeniy Fiks in the James Gallery, where the “Modern-ish” exhibit is on display.