— our work —
theatrical presentations
in development: breaking protocols
premiering summer 2021
Set in the U.S. on the eve of the 1940 election, breaking protocols examines the quintessential antisemitic text, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” through the lens of a decaying vaudeville troupe using the tricks of the trade to try to set the record straight.
Exploding "The Protocols," theatre dybbuk's performance will explore contemporary issues connected to racism, propaganda, and false narratives.
hell prepared: a ritual exorcism inspired by kabbalistic principles, performed within a dominant cultural context
premiered July 26, 2019
Enter the gates of the Venice Ghetto of the 17th century and go on a journey of dominance, separation, and survival that spirals down through the pits of Gehenna. Featuring a landscape of choreographed movement, poetic text, shadow puppetry, and choral scoring, hell prepared follows a spiritual leader as he endeavors to exorcise the dominant culture and its influence on his world.
lost tribes
premiered February 24, 2018
Inspired by the stories of the lost tribes of Israel, theatre dybbuk presents a full-length theatrical work, rich in movement, original music, and lyrical language that relates ancient mythological and tribal narratives to contemporary questions of integration, appropriation, and belonging.
exagoge
premiered June 18, 2016
exagoge, by Ezekiel the Poet, is the first recorded Jewish play, written during the 2nd Century B.C.E. It serves as a jumping off point for a piece that is both a play and a theatrical ritual.
assemble: modern spin | ancient celebration
premiered October 4, 2015
Conceived by the Center for Jewish Culture and Leichtag Foundation, and created by theatre dybbuk, this exciting new work features ritualized movement and physical theatre, as well as dance, music and more.
cave... a dance for lilith
premiered November 9, 2012
Lilith, the primary demon figure in Jewish folklore, inspired this multidisciplinary event, co-produced with Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company.
collaborations with sacred spaces
tefillah or prayer: a translation
premiered June 22, 2014
tefillah unpacks the vivid drama and moving humanity inherent in prayer services, by investigating their histories, legacies and structures.
kippur
premiered August 31, 2013
Originally performed as a play that also served as a Selichot service, the seven days of sitting Shiva serve as a framework for this exploration of atonement and loss.
vessels
premiered April 19, 2013
A short work designed to illuminate the Passover holiday, vessels creates a ritualistic performance experience that focuses on events surrounding the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
readings and events
Remembering for the Future: A Community-wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration
April 28, 2019
We're proud to have served as the event designer for Remembering for the Future: A Community-wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration – organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles with a wide variety of partners from throughout the city.
God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch
April 7, 2019
California Institute for Yiddish Culture and Language and Wilshire Boulevard Temple presented theatre dybbuk's staged reading of God of Vengeance.
Bronx Express by Osip Dymov translated by Nahma Sandrow
February 26, 2017
Presented at UCLA by the California Institute for Yiddish Culture and Language