The importance of the Yiddish theatre in the evolution of the modern American theatre

This dissertation discusses the Yiddish theatre in the context of its importance to the evolution of the modern American theatre. It has been felt, for a very long time, that the beginnings of the modern American theatre were with the arrival of Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre on Broadway, then with the eventual formation of the Group Theatre by Harold Clurman, Lee Strasberg, and Cheryl Crawford. However, without trying to take anything away from the master of modern theatre, Stanislavsky, and those who followed after him in the United States, the Yiddish theatre began realism on the American stage long before the Group Theatre was ever conceived. It is true that the techniques utilized by the Yiddish theatre were begun by Stanislavsky and quickly filtered down to the Lower East Side of New York where they were captured on the stage for those who were there to appreciate them. The Yiddish theatre has not been given its true worth. This dissertation will rectify that wrong.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wayne State University, 2008.School code: 0254