A new Jewish fringe festival is coming to a theatre/club/museum/synagogue/school near you this October. Living up to its promise to be ‘diverse and dispersed’, Tsitsit offers music, theatre, family entertainment, talks and comedy throughout the month of October. Not only in London, but also Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Dover, Leicester, Manchester, Plymouth and online.
Events start on Sunday, 3 October with Liz Berg reading from her book of Jewish Folktales and New York-raised, stand-up comic Michael Capozolla presenting his new show, Kugelroni.
There’s more comedy on offer that first week, with Aaron Levene looking at what it can possibly mean to be a Buddhist Jew and a gig from internationally famous comedian Rachel Creeger.
Sunday 10 October brings cabaret to the Soho Theatre in London – the former Dean Street Synagogue. The line-up features award-winning musical storyteller Daniel Cainer, up-and-coming band Tarsus, Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Jess Robinson as well as other talent old and new.
“We are really excited to be able to bring a bit of Jewish culture back to the building”, says Tsitsit founder Alastair Falk, “even though the content may not quite be as kosher as in the synagogue days!”
The amazingly varied Tsitsit fringe programme later in the month, includes such diverse offerings as:
- Patrick Marber, currently directing Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, talking about Jews in British theatre
- A cross-cultural team of Israeli and Palestinian theatre makers presenting The Demons of Jerusalem
- Drowning Shore – a multi-media event featuring soprano Clara Kanter
- A contemplative memory piece playing with the idea of knitting and wool to weave stories of women – She Seeks Out Wool
- A new play with a Jewish spin on Don Quixote
- The Wolf of Baghdad , an audio-visual journey through a Jewish family’s memories of their lost Iraqi homeland
- Cockney Yiddish Music Hall with the talented Vivi Lachs
For children, in half-term week, Tsitsit presents Meet At the Ark At Eight, themed around smuggling a third penguin on board Noah’s Ark, and a School’s Out Comedy Club workshop.
The grand finale on 31 October at the Jewish Museum in Londonis a Jewish answer to Halloween, Sitra Achra or who says Jews don’t have demons? This will feature theatre, music, film and Yiddish Punch and Judy.
“It’s been a labour of love putting this all together”, says Falk, “and we’re delighted now to have a programme that spans Jewish culture in all its dazzling variety.”
For programme details and tickets, go to tsitsitfringe.org.
