Workers’ Theatre — a Jewish theatre in Riga (1922–1934).
Among its teachers were M. Gor and M. Bernstein, whose creative collaboration and rehearsals were both engaging and productive. The theatre’s designer was the eminent I. Sherman, a respected artist known as an opponent of academicism — mischievous, yet a striking creative personality. The theatre’s directors included the Latvian actress O. Bormane and Yu. Yurovsky; other directors were invited for individual productions. The core of the troupe consisted of ?. Beilin, ?. Surits, ?. Garfunkel, ?. Sandler, ?. Kushnir, ?. Gumarinson, ?. Pevzner, and ?. Lisagor.
Among the theatre’s productions, the performance Hasidim (Khasidim), based on a work by the Jewish playwright A. Vevyorka (1887–1935), attracted particular interest and introduced audiences to the outstanding actor and director R. Zaslavsky. Yu. Yurovsky staged a production based on Sholem Aleichem’s novel Wandering Stars, adapted by M. Razumny.
A significant production by O. Bormane was the stage adaptation 1905, based on A. Upīts’ novel Robežnieki, with the author himself present at the performance. Other notable productions included Shap (The Factory), staged in December 1932 based on a 1927 play by the well-known Yiddish poet and dramatist H. Leivick (1888–1962). Another important staging was the play Hirsh Lekert by the Yiddish poet, prose writer, and dramatist M. Kushnirov (1890–1949). The author, a recipient of the St. George Cross, dedicated the work to the revolutionary H. Lekert (1879–1902), who in the summer of 1902 shot at the Vilna governor von Wahl in protest against the flogging of 28 arrested participants of the May Day demonstration (22 Jews and 6 Poles). The shot fired at the antisemite von Wahl — on whose orders the punishment had been carried out — was perceived as an act in defense of Jewish dignity; however, it cost Lekert his life. One performance of Hirsh Lekert (26 December 1932) was given for the benefit of the unemployed.
The Jewish Workers’ Theatre drew extensively on the experience of the Latvian Workers’ Theatre. Friendly relations developed between artists of both theatres, including O. Bormane, L. Šmits, E. Zīle, G. Vazdiks, and others.
At the Jewish Workers’ Theatre, fragments of J. Rainis’ play Ģirts Vilks and R. Blaumanis’ one-act play Pēc 1-mā mītiņa (After the First Rally) were staged, and an evening dedicated to J. Rainis was held.
The theatre’s existence, however, was short-lived: after Kārlis Ulmanis’ coup d’état, all left-oriented creative collectives were closed in 1935.