FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19,
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Celebrates the Publication of “On the Roof: A Look Inside Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish” with a Book Party on Sunday, May 2
—Virtual party features stars and creators of the celebrated show, including acclaimed Tony and Academy Award-winning Director Joel Grey, Lead Producer Jana Robbins, book author Samantha Hahn, and special guest Bebe Neuwirth—
— www.nytf.org/book —
(New York, NY)—On Sunday, May 2 at 2:30 PM (ET), the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) will present a virtual celebration to launch the behind-the-scenes book, “On the Roof: A Look Inside Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish” by one of the show’s stars, Samantha Hahn. The event is part of NYTF’s popular Folksbiene! LIVE virtual programming – and will provide an opportunity for audience members to engage with participants – that launched in the last year and to date has been viewed by more than 220,000 households.
“On the Roof” is an inside look at Off-Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, the ground-breaking, award-winning musical that was first presented by National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust to sold-out audiences – prompting multiple extensions of the smash hit before it moved uptown to Off-Broadway’s Stage 42.
The virtual doors to the free book party will open at 2:15 PM (ET) and begin with a special montage of backstage videos from Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish until the program begins. Visit www.nytf.org/book to see the event as it’s broadcast. Audience members will be able to ask questions of the cast and creative team in the Zoom chat space.
In the book, Samantha Hahn, the youngest member of the cast, tells the story of how “Yiddish Fiddler” came to be. The book features interviews with the cast, crew, and creative team – each with a unique take on the show and the impact it has had on their lives. “On the Roof” takes the reader on a never-before-seen journey – from rehearsals that end in tears and screaming in elevators, to the beautiful bonds between company members as strangers turn into family.
“When we opened, something sort of miraculous happened,” says Tony and Academy Award-winning Director Joel Grey. “There we were – a hit. Our youngest member has written this altogether delightful recounting of the experience. Samantha Hahn is not only a gifted performer but a delightful documentarian; she takes you through our auditions, rehearsals, backstage life, mishaps, and relationships, and shares stories and intimate thoughts from the entire team. Come, sit in on a rehearsal or two…”
The Zoom book party will include a discussion moderated by Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish Lead Producer Jana Robbins, who produced the show uptown at Stage 42, with special guests: Tony and Academy Award-winning Director Joel Grey, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek, and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish castmates Stephanie Lynne Mason (Hodl), Rosie Jo Neddy (Khave), Raquel Nobile (Shprintze), and Rachel Zatcoff (Tsaytl); and the event includes a special appearance by the star of stage and screen, Bebe Neuwirth.
Samantha Hahn is an author and actress, most recently having made her Off-Broadway debut as Beylke in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. She studies musical theatre at Manhattan School of Music and is the voice of Trinket the Unicorn on Nick Jr.’s Nella The Princess Knight in both the US and UK.
About the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Now celebrating its 106th season, Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) is the longest consecutively producing theatre in the U.S. and the world’s oldest continuously operating Yiddish theatre company. NYTF, which presented the award-winning Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, directed by Joel Grey, to sold out audiences before it moved to Off-Broadway uptown, is in residence at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek and Executive Director Dominick Balletta, NYTF is dedicated to creating a living legacy through the arts, connecting generations and bridging communities. NYTF aims to bring history to life by reviving and restoring lost and forgotten work, commissioning new work, and adapting pre-existing work for the 21st Century. Serving a diverse audience comprised of performing arts patrons, cultural enthusiasts, Yiddish-language aficionados, and the general public, the company presents plays, musicals, concerts, lectures, interactive educational workshops, and community-building activities in English and Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles accompanying performances. NYTF provides access to a century-old cultural legacy and inspires the imaginations of the next generation to contribute to this valuable body of work. 
