[Capdist-announce] Bridge Street Theatre’s SoloFest Opens With “Mirele Lernt Zich Yiddish”

[Steven Patterson]

She’s a one-woman cabal! Launching this year’s Bridge Street Theatre
Solofest – a mini- Festival of four original solo shows – is
Philadelphia-based performer Miryam Coppersmith’s “Mirele Lernt Zich
Yiddish” (Mirele Learns Yiddish). This celebratory semi-improvised
(different stories each show – no two performances the same!) dance/theater
piece comes to BST’s “Priscilla” Mainstage for three performances only,
March 1-3. With a running time of just over an hour, “Mirele” uses
interaction with the audience, dancing, song, and puppetry as Miryam
attempts to reclaim a small bit of her Jewish heritage, struggling to learn
a language that persecution and assimilation squeezed out of Ashkenazi
Jewry in the first place.



The inspiration for creating “Mirele Lernt Zich Yiddish” came before Miryam
began trying to learn Yiddish at all, on a trip she took to Germany in
2016: “In a small museum was a piece of Nazi propaganda, a sketch of two
profiles. The distant face was

dark, grotesque, and misshapen, with an enormous nose and lips. The forward
profile: white, feminine, and delicate. At first, I didn’t understand. What
was this image even trying to convey? After staring at it a while, I
understood. The grotesque belongs to the Jew. The beautiful belongs to the
Aryan. My initial confusion sparked my interest. Has so much changed that I
can’t even identify antisemitic tropes? How much has not changed at all?”



Of the show’s premiere at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Kalina
Witkowska of The Dance Journal wrote, “With a fusion of personal and public
emotions, [Miryam] delves into the depths of Ashkenazic culture, skillfully
merging traditional Yiddish movements with contemporary choreography. The
result is a mesmerizing showcase of both improvisation and choreographed
sequences, offering a glimpse into her own exploration of the world of
Yiddish dance. Miryam’s comfort and interaction with the audience create an
atmosphere that will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face. The room is
filled with light-hearted conversations, but beneath the surface lies a
poignant exploration of the challenges faced by the Ashkenazi community.”



Come celebrate Women’s History Month and learn a bit more about Yiddish
than just schlep and kvetch! “Mirele Lernt Zich Yiddish” will be performed
at Bridge Street Theatre, located at 44 West Bridge Street in the Village
of Catskill, on Friday March 1 and Saturday March 2 at 7:30pm and Sunday
March 3 at 2:00pm. And for those attending the show on March 2, the
performance will be followed by an extended Klezmer Dance Party, featuring
Margot Leverett (of The Klezmatics and The Klezmer Mountain Boys), Rabbi
Zoe B Zak (of Catskill’s Temple Israel) and Robert Bard, to which the
entire audience is invited at no extra cost! Advance tickets for all
performances can be purchased online at bridgest.org/solofest-2024/ or at
the door (subject to availability) one-half hour before each performance.
General Admission price is $25 or $10 for Students ages 18 and under. Also
available is a $75 SoloFest Pass, which will admit you to all four shows in
the Festival – a different production each weekend through March 24. Visit
bridgest.org/solofest-2024/ for more information.


*Photo Credit: Johanna Austin*




*Performance Calendar:*Bridge Street Theatre presents

*SoloFest 2024*A Mini-Festival of Four One-Woman Shows

March 1-3, 2024: *MIRELE LERNT ZICH YIDDISH* by Miryam Coppersmith

March 8-10, 2024: *TOP DRAWER *by Adelaide Mestre
March 15-17, 2024: *THE GREAT DIVIDE *by Amy Crossman
March 22-24. 2024: *LONGING LASTS LONGER *by Penny Arcade (presented in
collaboration with White Horse Theater Company)

Fridays & Saturdays @ 7:30pm, Sundays @ 2:00pm
Bridge Street Theatre’s “Priscilla” Mainstage
44 West Bridge Street, Catskill, NY


*Tickets:*Festival Passes and tickets for individual shows available in
advance online at https://bridgest.org/2024-solofest/ or at the door (on a
space available basis) one-half hour before each performance
General Admission $25, $10 for Students and Children ages 18 and under
Four-Show Festival Pass available for only $75



*About the Artist:*

Miryam Coppersmith (she/they) is a Philadelphia-based performance artist
and educator who aims to create spaces for transformation for her
collaborators, audience, and greater community. She works with movement,
speech, and sound coming from her own body, drawing on training in Contact
Improvisation, Six Viewpoints, acting, Black American social dance, and
other influences. Miryam holds a BA in Dance and Creative Writing from
Oberlin College. She is 2023 Mitsui Collective Kollelnik, a 2020 Get What
You Need artist in residence and has presented work at the Philadelphia
Fringe Festival, You Can’t Fail, Fresh Juice, and more. Miryam is a
writer/editor for the online dance journal thINKingDANCE. *un zi red a bisl
Yiddish. *Miryamcoppersmith.com



*Collaborators:*

Elijah J Jones – Dramaturgy

Heather Griffin – Lighting Design

Ruth Coppersmith – Mask Design

James Vitz-Wong – Sound Design

Johanna Austin – Photography

Shannon Brooks – Videograph

*Events at Bridge Street Theatre are supported in part by the New York
State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor of New York and
the New York State Legislature and by Public Funds from the Greene County
Legislature.*
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