Ukrainian, Yiddish, Polish, Russian? New Perspectives on Theater in Soviet Ukraine

Much of the research on Yiddish theater focuses on Solomon Mikhoels and Moscow’s GOSET [State Jewish Theater], yet the heartland of Yiddish theater was in Soviet Ukraine, where there were multiple troupes, a puppet theater that won an all-Union prize, and a special Yiddish division at the theater institute in Kyiv. This paper argues for a new perspective on analyzing this theater: rather than focusing on ethnicity (who was Jewish, who was Ukrainian), or the ethnicity of aesthetics (how ethnic groups were represented), this paper presents infrastructure, networks, and exchange as key tools for explaining theater in Soviet Ukraine. Such a focus shows that Yiddish theater was not separate from the Ukrainian, Russian, or even Polish theaters, and indeed all state theatrical institutions were linked through a network of bureaucrats, audiences, and artists. Moreover, the story of Yiddish theater generally ends with the murder of Mikhoels and closure of all the troupes throughout the USSR. However, the artists themselves continued working in Soviet Ukraine. Tracing these networks shows that while Yiddish theatre may have ended, the artists, directors, and designers who survived the war often had long careers in Soviet Ukraine, bringing their experiences to new theatrical institutions. Ultimately a focus on infrastructure and networks highlights the diversity of Soviet Ukraine, and demonstrates the necessity of including this multi-ethnic perspective in any analysis of its theater.