THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER

About to be published by TRW

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.

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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THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER

Recommended by

  • InterAct Theatre Company: THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER

    This play could not be more prophetic, while also being a wonderfully rich, dynamic and moving story. We produced the first production, as part of an NNPN Rolling World Premiere in March/April 2024, and it ended up being our best-selling show ever. Set against a truly unimaginable, and yet somehow very real America in the not to distant future, the play is filled with heart, humor and a little bit of magic.

    This play could not be more prophetic, while also being a wonderfully rich, dynamic and moving story. We produced the first production, as part of an NNPN Rolling World Premiere in March/April 2024, and it ended up being our best-selling show ever. Set against a truly unimaginable, and yet somehow very real America in the not to distant future, the play is filled with heart, humor and a little bit of magic.

  • Abigail Henkin: THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER

    What I love about this play is that, although set in a world of authoritarian conformity that feels terrifyingly plausible, individual characters are treated with such humanity and compassion. It’s a play that evokes a desire to connect with history and culture - as someone with Jewish descent, it’s the reason I started Yiddish on Duolingo. But it also feels intersectional in its argument for understanding the importance of our history and defending it from homogenizing powers.

    What I love about this play is that, although set in a world of authoritarian conformity that feels terrifyingly plausible, individual characters are treated with such humanity and compassion. It’s a play that evokes a desire to connect with history and culture - as someone with Jewish descent, it’s the reason I started Yiddish on Duolingo. But it also feels intersectional in its argument for understanding the importance of our history and defending it from homogenizing powers.

  • Maggie Cain: THE LAST YIDDISH SPEAKER

    A well-written piece about what really could happen! The tension is there from the beginning, and it brings up topics to struggle with: how much do we need to fit in? how much can we fight oppression and discrimination? are we complicit if we go along to get along? Though it centers on Judaism and the right for Jews to exist, it has universal appeal to anyone who worries about marginalized groups, and the often-unwitting or uneducated, both well-meaning and vengeful who group together to persecute them.

    A well-written piece about what really could happen! The tension is there from the beginning, and it brings up topics to struggle with: how much do we need to fit in? how much can we fight oppression and discrimination? are we complicit if we go along to get along? Though it centers on Judaism and the right for Jews to exist, it has universal appeal to anyone who worries about marginalized groups, and the often-unwitting or uneducated, both well-meaning and vengeful who group together to persecute them.

View all 8 recommendations
SARAH: 17. Called MARY in hiding. A high school senior
PAUL: Her father
JOHN: 17. Her boyfriend
CHAVA: Speaks Yiddish. 1,000 years old

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Theatre Lab, Year 2023
  • Type Commission, Organization Lucille Lortel, Alcove commission, Year 2023

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization InterAct, Year 2024

Awards

  • Winner of the Jewish Play Contest
    2024
  • Carbonell Award for Outstanding New Work
    2025
  • Lortel Alcove Micro-Commission
    Lucille Lortel Foundation
    2023