The Upstage Interview: Bryna Wasserman

Bryna Wasserman (centre, front) with her troops at the 

season launch last spring (photo: Randy Cole)

The National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene in New York will celebrate its 100th anniversary with their 2014-15 season. Bryna Wasserman, former Artistic Director of Segal Centre for the Performing Arts in Montreal, recently took over the Executive Director position of Folksbiene. Our mission is to preserve the Yiddish language but we need to broaden our audience base, said Ms. Wasserman. Her plans include adding film, music and other art forms to the theatre’s roster, and to bring in Yiddish-language productions from other countries. First indication of this plan will be the Fall production of Soul to Soul featuring two African-American singers and one Israeli-American singer – all performing in Yiddish. To expand Folksbiene mission, she will be commissioning new works by leading playwrights like Tony Kushner. July 10, 2011 source: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/

 

Upstage Producer and CharPo Editor-in-chief Estelle Rosen spoke with Bryna Wasserman shortly before she left Montreal. Below is an abridged version of the interview.

Breaking News: Bryna Wasserman to leave Segal

Actor Éric Bernier (top), with
Wasserman, Jean Marchand and
Sgeal CEO Manon Gauthier
(Photo: Randy Cole)

(UPDATES BELOW)
Separate sources have now confirmed that Bryna Wasserman, artistic director at the Segal Centre, will be leaving, probably at the end of this season. She will be moving to New York to take over as Executive Director of the Yiddish Folksbienne Theatre. Ms Wasserman will continue her work with the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre, here, and the upcoming Yiddish festival at the house. Paul Flicker will be handling artistic director duties. Representatives of the company preferred not to comment at this time.

More to follow...
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Update: 4:10 PM, April 13
Melissa Maloul-Cohen, Senior consultant/communications for the Segal, confirmed the story. They will be sending an official press release shortly (which we will publish in its entirety)

News: Segal Season Launch

The Segal team (Bryna Wasserman, AD, centre) (Photo: Randy Cole)

SEGAL SEASON PAR FOR THE COURSE

if you liked past seasons, you’ll love this 

joel fishbane

Not much will change at Segal Centre during the 2011 – 12 season. The only theatre not dark on Monday nights will continue to present seasoned classics well into the spring of 2012, featuring the usual assortment of established writers, directors and stars. Centaur has opted to challenge its subscribers with world premieres and musicals about haunted hillbillies, but Segal has chosen to offer their audience much more familiar fare. Put succinctly, if you liked past seasons, you’ll love this. 

The strengths of Segal Centre has always been its commitment to all artistic disciplines and it’s new season features a slew of dance, music and cinematic offerings which I’d encourage everyone to explore. Theatrically, their studio space offers the most intriguing possibilities: Tableau d’Hote will present Timothy Findley’s astounding Elizabeth Rex while Scapegoat Carnivale (Segal’s new resident company) will be presenting a new play by Joseph Shragge, The Heretics of Bohemia. I can’t tell you anything about it, other that it involves puppets, fairy tales and that it’s producers are the same people who gave us Medea - which, as I continue to tell Artistic Director Alison Darcy every time I see her, was the best show I saw in 2010.