THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER Come to Mildred's Umbrella
Performances run September 4-21, 2025.
By: Stephi Wild Jul. 03, 2025
Mildred’s Umbrella Theater Company, in collaboration with the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC, opens their 2025-2026 season with the Houston premiere of THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER, by Deborah Zoe Laufer. This production is the second of two co-productions with the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston (the J).
The collaboration between Mildred’s Umbrella and the J began in 2019 when they co-produced a reading series, and evolved as Mildred’s Artistic Director Jennifer Decker was hired by the J to direct Anna Zeigler’s PHOTOGRAPH 51 in 2023, and GHETTO in 2024. Mildred’s Umbrella’s mission is to produce plays by women, and as a nomadic theatre company without a permanent space, we are always looking for collaborative opportunities. The friendship between our organizations has made this collaboration a natural fit.
The Last Yiddish Speaker by Deborah Zoe Laufer is the winner of the 2024 Jewish Play Project, a National contest that identifies, develops and presents new works of theater through one-of a kind explorations of contemporary Jewish identity between audiences, artists and patrons. The play received a rolling premiere in April 2024 at Interact Theatre Company, Philadelphia.
The play will be directed by Rhett Martinez, and will run at the J from September 4-21, 2025.
Plot Summary: Sarah is struggling to survive her senior year of high school – new town, new school, new boyfriend. She's also struggling to survive the new America, where the insurrection was successful and everything has changed. When an ancient Yiddish-speaking woman is deposited on their doorstep, Sarah and her father must decide whether to help the woman hide or to save themselves.
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