Character Break Down
All Characters Must Sing, Dance and transform from character to character with confidence.
Lemmel: Adult Male
A country tailor who becomes leader of the Yiddish Art Theatre of Lodz troupe; naïve in his youth, over time as Asch’s company manager, he experiences the good and the terrible that the world has to offer, but he is never consumed by cynicism; holds fast to his belief in the transformative power of performance, even in the Nazi-controlled ghetto where his troupe performs.
All Ethnicities
Older Asch/Peretz/Ensemble: Male, 50-69
50s to 60s. Older Asch: late in life, Sholem has retreated entirely from public life; bitter and cynical, he disavows his masterpiece. Peretz: Leader of a prestigious Polish Yiddish literary salon; upper-crust, educated, fussy traditionalist.
All Ethnicities
Young Asch/John Rosen/Ensemble: Male, 20-39
20s to 30s. Young Asch: brilliant Polish Jewish playwright; passionate; rebellious; hungry for change. John Rosen: Connecticut-born Jewish idealist; has written a new translation of Asch’s original manuscript and wants to revive the play for a new generation; will stop at nothing to see that his cultural heritage lives on in glory.
All Ethnicities
Nakhmen/Harry/Ensemble: Male, 40-49
40s. Nakhmen: Lemml’s cousin; traditional Jewish man and member at the Polish Yiddish literary salon. Harry Weinberger: Producer at the Greenwich Theatre; proud to produce a play on Broadway by a fellow Jew; against the troupe’s wishes, he censors the play to appease the audience.
All Ethnicities
Magda/Ruth/Virginia/Ensemble: Female, 20-39
20s to 30s. Magda: Asch’s wife; has a discerning mind for literature and an enviable depth of feeling. Ruth: Jewish actor living in Greenwich Village; in love with Dorothee; cast as Rivkele in the New York premiere of Asch’s play. Speaks English poorly. Outspoken, defender of her heritage. Virginia: American ingénue; replaces Ruth as Rivkele in the New York production; energetic, eager to please, and eager to shock her parents by playing a lesbian on stage.
All Ethnicities
Freida/Dorothee/Ensemble: Female, 20-39
20s to 30s. Freida: a respected German actor; she plays Manke in the Berlin production of Asch’s play; speaks frankly and with an air of sophistication. Dorothee: Jewish actor in Greenwich Village; in love with Ruth; cast as Manke in the New York premiere of Asch’s play; sensitive and full of feeling; she wants to assimilate into American culture.
All Ethnicities
Mrs. Peretz/Esther/Ensemble: Female, 50-69
50s to 60s. Mrs. Peretz: wife of the literary lion I.L. Peretz; protective; strong literary opinions; dismissive of upstart young writers. Esther: cast as Sarah in the New York production of Asch’s play; a seasoned and professional actor; she’s good at what she does and is frustrated by amateurism.
All Ethnicities
Lemmel: Adult Male
A country tailor who becomes leader of the Yiddish Art Theatre of Lodz troupe; naïve in his youth, over time as Asch’s company manager, he experiences the good and the terrible that the world has to offer, but he is never consumed by cynicism; holds fast to his belief in the transformative power of performance, even in the Nazi-controlled ghetto where his troupe performs.
All Ethnicities
Older Asch/Peretz/Ensemble: Male, 50-69
50s to 60s. Older Asch: late in life, Sholem has retreated entirely from public life; bitter and cynical, he disavows his masterpiece. Peretz: Leader of a prestigious Polish Yiddish literary salon; upper-crust, educated, fussy traditionalist.
All Ethnicities
Young Asch/John Rosen/Ensemble: Male, 20-39
20s to 30s. Young Asch: brilliant Polish Jewish playwright; passionate; rebellious; hungry for change. John Rosen: Connecticut-born Jewish idealist; has written a new translation of Asch’s original manuscript and wants to revive the play for a new generation; will stop at nothing to see that his cultural heritage lives on in glory.
All Ethnicities
Nakhmen/Harry/Ensemble: Male, 40-49
40s. Nakhmen: Lemml’s cousin; traditional Jewish man and member at the Polish Yiddish literary salon. Harry Weinberger: Producer at the Greenwich Theatre; proud to produce a play on Broadway by a fellow Jew; against the troupe’s wishes, he censors the play to appease the audience.
All Ethnicities
Magda/Ruth/Virginia/Ensemble: Female, 20-39
20s to 30s. Magda: Asch’s wife; has a discerning mind for literature and an enviable depth of feeling. Ruth: Jewish actor living in Greenwich Village; in love with Dorothee; cast as Rivkele in the New York premiere of Asch’s play. Speaks English poorly. Outspoken, defender of her heritage. Virginia: American ingénue; replaces Ruth as Rivkele in the New York production; energetic, eager to please, and eager to shock her parents by playing a lesbian on stage.
All Ethnicities
Freida/Dorothee/Ensemble: Female, 20-39
20s to 30s. Freida: a respected German actor; she plays Manke in the Berlin production of Asch’s play; speaks frankly and with an air of sophistication. Dorothee: Jewish actor in Greenwich Village; in love with Ruth; cast as Manke in the New York premiere of Asch’s play; sensitive and full of feeling; she wants to assimilate into American culture.
All Ethnicities
Mrs. Peretz/Esther/Ensemble: Female, 50-69
50s to 60s. Mrs. Peretz: wife of the literary lion I.L. Peretz; protective; strong literary opinions; dismissive of upstart young writers. Esther: cast as Sarah in the New York production of Asch’s play; a seasoned and professional actor; she’s good at what she does and is frustrated by amateurism.
All Ethnicities