The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) honors Golden Globe nominee and Tony Award winner Liev Schreiber at its "Golden Gala" at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, tonight, on Monday, December 12th, 7pm.
Inspired by the resounding success of NYTF's recent hit musical, "The Golden Bride," the Gala will launch a worldwide initiative of identifying and restoring lost and forgotten works of the Yiddish Theatre canon.
The widely praised Off Broadway production of "The Golden Bride" -- itself a restoration of a nearly lost hit operetta by
Joseph Rumshinsky that was last performed in New York in the late 1940s -- was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, for direction and best revival of a musical. The new endeavor will enlist academic institutions and archives around the globe to contribute to the process.
An exclusive preview concert of this initiative, curated NYTF Artistic Director
Zalmen Mlotek and NYTF Associate Artistic Director
Motl Didner, will be presented at the Gala, performed by stars of The Golden Bride
Rachel Policar,
CameRon Johnson and Adam B. Shapiro. They will be joined by performers
Grace Field and
Daniel Greenwood and accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra conducted by Mlotek.
Announcement will be made at the Gala, that plans are underway to launch a National Tour of "The Golden Bride" in 2017, the first NYTF production to warrant this kind of national exposure. NYTF, now in its 102 consecutive season and the longest continuously production Yiddish theatre company in the world, plans on reuniting members of its Off Broadway cast to return for a 2017 touring production.
Schreiber can currently be seen playing the lead role of Le Vicomte de Valmont in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" on Broadway through January 8, 2017. An actor, writer, director and producer who has touched audiences across the world, he is no stranger to playing roles that have allowed him to explore his Jewish roots: >From his memorable role of Misha in "Jakob the Liar," to his writing-and-directing debut on the film adaptation of "Everything is Illuminated," though his portrayal of real-life resistance fighter Zus Bielski in "Defiance," he demonstrates his dedication to the elevation of Jewish culture. He currently stars as the title character in the Showtime series Ray Donovan, which will begin shooting Season 5 this January. Schreiber grew up on Manhattan's Lower East Side; his Ruth Bielski, the daughter of Tuvia Bielski, the leader of the Bielski Resistance clan, will present Schreiber's award.
The "Golden Gala's" honorary co-chairs include Tony-and-Drama Desk Award winning producer
Margot Astrachan; 3-time Tony Award winner and 5-time Drama Desk Award winning composer/lyricist
Jason Robert Brown; Emmy-and-Drama Desk Award winner and Grammy-and-Tony Award nominated producer
Douglas Denoff; MacArthur Award winner, 2-time Tony Award winner, Drama Desk-and-Outer Critics Circle Award winning playwright/lyricist
Joe DiPietro; Pulitzer Prize and 4-time Tony-and-Drama Desk Award winning playwright/lyricist
Sheldon Harnick; Emmy-and-Tony Award winning performer
Mandy Patinkin; 10-time Tony Award winner and 10-time Drama Desk Award winning producer
Daryl Roth.
NYTF's Golden Gala will be held at Museum of Jewish Heritage, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place, New York, NY on Monday, December 12 at 7pm. Tickets are $750 and are on sale now, call
(212) 213-2120 ext. 208 or visit
nytf.org.
