THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER to Open at Six Points Theater
The production will open on October 25.
From the playwright of The Last Schwartz and Be Here Now, Deborah Zoe Laufer's new play, The Last Yiddish Speaker, is a family drama set in a near-future America reshaped by authoritarian nationalism.
Paul and his teenage daughter Sarah are Jews living as Christians under a fascist regime, until the day a 1,000-year-old woman named Chava, who speaks only Yiddish--played by Sally Wingert--appears on their doorstep in need of shelter. Her arrival reignites their culture and reminds them of their faith, even as their safety is threatened by Sarah's high school boyfriend, John, a government informant.
The Last Yiddish Speaker arrives amid a wave of national conversations about policing free speech and the slow centralization of government control, as well as an increase in hate crimes against Jews, most recently at Temple Israel in Minneapolis. The rise of fascism goes hand in hand with a rise in antisemitism, which makes the themes in Laufer's dystopia resonate deeply with Minnesota audiences.
“This play explores who we are at our absolute core,” says Director Amy Rummenie, co-founder of Walking Shadow Theater Co. “It deftly handles culture, politics, and community with compassionate humanity and surprising humor.”
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