South of Delancey Street

R.M. Sydnor

Conversation

Karen Sommers

South of Delancey Street, playing at the Freemont in South Pasadena, is based on archival tapes of a popular Yiddish radio program broadcast in New York starting in the late 1940s.   This is Jewish divorce court where arbitrators mediate disputes and render binding decisions. These fascinating recordings make for thought-provoking analysis not just of the couples under adjudication but also the arbitrators, whose interactions among themselves and decisions appear sexist and unjust. Director Karen Sommers deserves much credit for bringing this entertaining and evolving play to the stage.

Perspective lies at the heart of this South of Delancey, which makes this entertaining and thought provoking theater.

Perfect!  I’m glad you thought so.  That is what I love about theatre.  Good theatre forces you to lean forward in your seat, makes you think - challenge you as well as entertain you.  When I hear people leaving the theatre in heated debate about the stories they just heard, I know I’ve done my job and thought provoking storyteller.

This play is based on the archival tapes of a popular Yiddish radio program broadcast in New York starting in the 1940s.  I found the recordings entertaining despite questionable justice.

 So did I.  That’s why I created this piece.  Those tapes were the inspiration for this show.  I originally heard the voices of the plaintiffs and found myself transported back in time.  The picture it created in my mind was so vivid.  I was entertained as well as educated about my history.

Tell us about the Jewish arbitration court and the people who sought its counsel.

From what I learned in the process of creating this piece, Jewish arbitration courts were and are not uncommon within the Jewish culture.  It is modeled after something called a Beith Din - a panel of rabbis who hold counsel and advise and dispute cases.  The Jewish arbitration court in this production is not a Beith Din, but it is similar.  The difference is the court in South of Delancey was broadcast on the radio.  The people who came to the House of Sages, where the court was held, were often too poor or ignorant of the American Judicial system to seek traditional legal counsel.  These people were mostly immigrants who spoke only Yiddish.  The court was held every Sunday and the people lined up out the door.  The cases were binding and each plaintiff signed a document saying they would adhere to the decision.

I found the voices of the counsel quite revealing because their ratiocination lead to sexist decisions with far too many omissions of fact.  This is certainly true in the case of Faye.  The court rules that she stays with her husband because he promises not to abuse her.

That is true.  Many people react very strongly to their decision.  Some say, “It was a different time!”   Some also point out that the panel was made up of all men and that the rabbi was living a simple life.  I don’t know.  All I know is what the rabbi and the judges say.  This is a piece of history and it is impact-full in and of itself.  It makes you think about how people were in the 1940’s, but - at the same time - it challenges you to think about your own story as well.

What were some of the challenges of bringing South of Delancey to the stage?

 This piece was built over a period of 5 years.  Trying to stand back and separate myself from the piece to make artistic decisions was a big challenge.  Once you work on something for that long you get so close to the material.  I was blessed to have collaborators and such talented people surrounding me.

Your sound engineer Grady Hutt does a great job of integrating those recordings with the actors.

 Yes, he did!  I tell people the real show is up in the booth watching Grady run that board.  He’s incredible and has terrific timing.  We constructed the sound for the court scenes such that each of the judges, rabbi’s and radio host’s voices are on separate tracks.  The actors respond to each sound cue as if the judge is in the room.  They cannot miss or mistake a line during those sequences because each track is going to play in order!  

The costuming is quite authentic as are the sets.

 Lois Tedrow and Dove Huntley did amazing work.  As I mentioned above, I was blessed to be surrounded by such talented people.  The piece was collaborative from day one and I infused that into each aspect of the production.  

This is a solid veteran cast beginning with Abigail Marks as Faye and her abusive husband, Marty played by Michael Rubenstone.

 They are terrific.  It’s been amazing working with them as they bring so much to their roles.  They all challenged me in rehearsals and kept me on my toes.  The fullness of each of the characters is a tribute to their amazing instincts. 

Success as you well known is not achieved solo and this play certainly speaks to the collaboration.

 From the very beginning, this piece has been collaborative.  In workshopping and developing the script in NYC, I hired actors to improvise each scene over and over.  I went home with the recorded improvisations and pulled the best bits and lines from these tapes to create the script.  Through the years, and especially during this recent rehearsal process, the script and completely transformed in rehearsals through more improvisation.  My goal was to keep the language as natural and real as possible.  Being that the people this show are based on are real people and their stories are real, I wanted the language and interactions to be real.  I challenged my actors not to perform, but to react authentically to each other.  

Although these stories speak to the Jewish culture, I think these stories speak to relationships today.

 Yes, my goal was never to make a “Jewish” show.  It is about the human struggle and interpersonal relationships.  It just happens to have Jewish characters.  These are all familiar stories and problems.  Everyone has a mother, a sibling, a spouse or a troublesome relationship.  I believe everyone can see themselves in this piece. 

What is on the horizon fir Karen Sommers?

 My immediate goal is to take this show to Equity theatres, the regional circuit, New York...etc.  I am a collaborative stage director and I plan to keep directing and developing new pieces.   I am also the original Producer/Director of the worlds first and only live and interactive broadcast studio in a pediatric hospital in the world.  I hope to create and open hospital broadcast studios all over the country.