A colorful, vibrant illustration of the ideal American family adorns the backdrop. The father, dressed in a down-to-earth brown suit, and mother, in a simple pink dress, look over their three children, dog and cat. This illustration appears to celebrate the refined, male-dominated families symbolized in Leave it to Beaver – or does it?
The speech bubbles emanating from each character are in Yiddish and their message is separate from the idyllic illustration. The phrases signify different character archetypes, most of which are tongue-in-cheek jests at the very ideals such a 1950s-esque family would celebrate.
It is here that Yiddish with Dick and Jane departs from traditional Jewish storytelling. “We do different kinds of Jewish-themed stories, ranging from folk tales of Jewish origin to personal stories on being a Jewish student,” says Communication sophomore Tyler Beattie, who directs the show. “It’s broad, but the general theme is being able to take culture seriously, while finding its humor and laughing at it as well.”
Presented by the Jewish Theatre Ensemble’s satellite group, JTE Storytellers, Yiddish with Dick and Jane is a venture into uncharted territory. This production is the group’s first full, on-campus showcase, signaling its evolution from simply a fundraising entity to a full-fledged ensemble. And Beattie wants to push that transition with a performance that celebrates everything the JTE Storytellers stand for.
“The stories we do have a lot to do with the Jewish community on campus, but can also be related to NU community as a whole,” he says. “We try to tie Jewish and other themes together cohesively. We want to bring different groups together through performance.”
In their quest to unite through theater, the JTE Storytellers utilize an audience-focused approach. Drawing on the age-old customs of oral tradition, they perform in the absence of props and a set. Instead of elaborate backgrounds and extensive props depicting the environment, the actors rely on the power of imagination.
“It’s different than a play where you have a whole set and props,” Beattie says. “Something that is integral to storytelling is that you’re working with less. We are creating a collective imagination on stage. We help the audience imagine what is happening, instead of creating it for them.”
In one scene, their arms twirling as they whistle, the ensemble members act out the wind. In this fairy tale-style sketch, the actors represent the forces of nature that push, pull and spin a little half chick on her journey. In the end, the story pans out with the morals one would expect from a fable – explaining the birth of weather vanes. But the story is punctuated with comical references to handicapped elevators and VIP entrances, adding a modern flair to its message.
“The ensemble plays very well off of each other and manages to weave contemporary humor into every sketch,” Communication sophomore and co-producer Jenna Reback says. “But our head writer (Communication sophomore Annie Levine) deserves a lot of the credit. She splices together folk morals and humor very well.”
While Levine does write many of the group’s stories, the ensemble members rely more on improvisation techniques than a rigid script. Using a narrator – who tells the story as the other ensemble members act out the story and inject dialogue – the stories change with every rehearsal and performance. The stories are outlined before the group blocks and rehearses the sketches, but the performances are always loose, giving the actors room to maneuver.
“We try to lean more toward the improv angle of acting,” ensemble member and Communication freshman Joel Sinensky says. “We don’t have a fully-fleshed script and every rehearsal is a struggle – in the sense that we are constantly adjusting the show. That, coupled with the need to pantomime everything, creates the dynamism that drives our stories.”
And with every performance, the ensemble draws on their improvisational skills in different ways. The JTE Storytellers perform for a wide range of audiences, from children to students to adults, and they attempt to integrate the audience in whatever ways they can. Often pulling audience members onto the stage, or asking for their plot suggestions, the ensemble has to react both quickly and seamlessly.
“With storytelling, it should be interactive,” Beattie says. “The audience should want to participate, because that’s how stories were told for generations. And while children and adults tend to be a little more timid than college students, we try to find a way to get everyone involved.”
Yiddish with Dick and Jane: A JTE Storytellers Showcase is playing at the Shanley Pavilion, 2031 Sheridan Rd., on March 30. There will be 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. showings. Tickets cost $5 for students and $10 for general admission.
Medill junior Michael Burgner is the PLAY theater editor. He can be reached at [email protected].