Mending The Torn Curtain tells the moving story of the creation of a Yiddish theatre legacy. It began over fifty years ago when, following the near annihilation of Eastern European Jewry, Dora Wasserman came to Canada determined to “mend the torn curtain” of her beloved Yiddish theatre. The remarkable legacy she created was passed on to multiple generations who carry it on today, including her daughter Bryna.
But as audiences with a direct link to Eastern European Jewry inevitably pass on, the growing challenge is to engage new audiences who have limited exposure to Yiddish life, culture and language and to impart this legacy to them so that it may exist and grow in the future.
And so it came to pass, in June 2009, that Bryna created the first ever Montreal International Yiddish Theatre Festival – an ingathering of all the surviving Yiddish theatres from around the world for a weeklong celebration of theatre, cinema, music, outdoor events, learning exchanges, all with the aim of igniting a spark to light the flame for the future of Yiddish theatre and Yiddish culture.
Edited from from over 100 hours of supporting footage and told through the framework of the Festival, behind the scenes conversations, interviews and personal anecdotes, Mending The Torn Curtain weaves a story of a passion for Yiddish theatre and culture that has been passed from mother to daughter and the importance of promoting this legacy for future generations to come.
