Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
headphones
The Dybbukast

The Dybbukast

theatre dybbuk

What do poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history tell us about the times in which they were written? And what do they reveal about the forces still at play in our contemporary societies? Using interviews with artists and scholars combined with readings performed by actors, The Dybbukast examines and gives context to creative works while exploring their relationships to issues still present today. ​ The Dybbukast is produced by theatre dybbuk. While the company is no longer producing full seasons, it will continue to use this platform to present live recordings of its illuminated lectures – which share The Dybbukast format – as they are available.
bookmark
Share icon

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 The Dybbukast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Dybbukast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Dybbukast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Dybbukast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Dybbukast - In Defense of Women

In Defense of Women

The Dybbukast

play

06/11/21 • 41 min

Written in Italy in the 16th century by Jewish dramatist Leone De' Sommi Portaleone, who also wrote what is considered to be the oldest extant Hebrew-language play, the poem "In Defense of Women" touches on the role of women in drama and reveals a great deal about the cultural considerations and power dynamics of this time when women were coming to the fore on the theatrical stages of Northern Italy, Rome, and Venice in the professional world of the commedia dell’arte.

Intercut with selections from the poem and other works of the era performed by theatre dybbuk actors, Dr. Erith Jaffe-Berg, Professor of theatre at the Department of Theatre, Film and Digital Production, University of California at Riverside, guides us through the text's meaning and its relevance to both historical and contemporary issues of equity and belonging.

The live recording from which this episode was created was presented on May 20, 2021 in collaboration with San Diego Repertory’s Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival (JFEST), with scholar and student participation from the Department of Theatre, Film and Digital Production at the University of California, Riverside.

This episode is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - Hymn of the Majestic
play

12/13/24 • 49 min

This illuminated lecture features Alan Niku as he seeks to answer these questions: How did Jews in Persia participate in Sufism before and after the appearance of Kabbalah? Is Sufism a fundamentally Islamic form of mysticism? And what Sufi influences are still tangible in the practices of Persian Jews today?

This episode was recorded as a live presentation on July 11, 2024 at The Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - The Marvelous Puppet Show
play

06/14/24 • 48 min

This illuminated lecture brings together readings from the short play "The Marvelous Puppet Show" by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1615, with a talk from Dr. Barbara Fuchs, Distinguished Professor of Spanish and English at UCLA and director of Diversifying the Classics. Dr. Fuchs reveals the ways in which Cervantes' uncannily prescient interlude dissects the foibles of belief and belonging and poses uncomfortable questions for the here and now.

This episode was recorded live on April 20, 2024 at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles and is presented in collaboration with Diversifying the Classics at UCLA. The podcast presentation is supported in part by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - At Newport

At Newport

The Dybbukast

play

05/10/24 • 32 min

In this episode, presented in collaboration with Hebrew College, we begin by exploring two poems from the second half of the 19th century by prominent American poets. One, "The Jewish Cemetery at Newport," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is generally thought to have been written during a visit to Newport in 1852 and was then published in 1854. The other, a response to that work by Emma Lazarus, called "In the Jewish Synagogue at Newport," was likely written in 1867 and then published in 1871.

Rabbi Dan Judson, Provost of Hebrew College, discusses how the poem by Lazarus both builds upon and deviates from Longfellow's poem. He also shares about the artistic and ideological journey that Emma Lazarus, as a Jewish American writer, took over the course of her career, using her poem "The Banner of the Jew," published in 1882, as an entry point to understand this journey, and touches on the ways in which her evolution speaks to Jewish identity in America and the American experience overall.

Support for this episode is provided in part by A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

This guest episode from Primary Source, a limited series podcast from the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University, explores the notorious and fraudulent antisemitic text most commonly known as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, taking a look at its history and its impact on world politics. This episode from our colleagues is a meaningful companion to our popular Season 1 episode, "The Protocols, Henry Ford, and The International Jew," co-produced with the Association for Jewish Studies, which investigated, in part, the ways in which The Protocols were distributed in the United States and beyond.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - The Merchant of Venice: Annotated
play

03/08/24 • 43 min

Dr. Jennifer Wells, former Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs at the George Washington University, takes us through the social, economic, and political landscape of Elizabethan England as Aaron Henne, the writer and director of our latest work, The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad, and artistic director of theatre dybbuk, illuminates that history's impact on our interpretation of Shakespeare's Merchant.

This episode is presented in collaboration with the George Washington University Department of History.

This is the third and final episode in our series connected to concepts that intersect with The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad. That production combines text from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice with Elizabethan history and news from 2020 to the present. In doing so, it seeks to illuminate how, during times of upheaval, some people may place blame for their anxieties on an “other.”

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

This illuminated lecture brings together work from Dr. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, Visiting Scholar at Portland State University and scholar-in-residence at the Portland Shakespeare Project, with readings of excerpts from Shakespeare's Merchant and other related materials. Dr. Pollack-Pelzner takes up the question: “Why perform The Merchant of Venice?" and discusses its production history, scholarship related to the work, and his own personal relationship to the play.

This episode is presented in collaboration with the Shakespeare's First Folio: 1623-2023 Festival at Portland State University and was recorded live as part of the festival on October 26, 2023 during theatre dybbuk's residency in Portland, Oregon.

This is the second in a three episode series connected to concepts that intersect with theatre dybbuk's most recent theatrical work, The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad. That production combines text from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice with Elizabethan history and news from 2020 to the present. In doing so, it seeks to illuminate how, during times of upheaval, some people may place blame for their anxieties on an “other.”

This episode is supported in part by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - The Merchant of Venice: Ghetto
play

01/12/24 • 31 min

In this episode, presented in collaboration with the George Washington University Department of History, we examine the history of the word “ghetto" and look at ways that ideas contained in Shakespeare's play overlap with and deviate from that history.

Dr. Daniel Schwartz, Professor of Jewish History at GW, guides us through this exploration, sharing some of the concepts contained in his book, Ghetto: The History of a Word.

This is the first in a three episode series connected to concepts that intersect with theatre dybbuk's most recent theatrical work, The Merchant of Venice (Annotated), or In Sooth I Know Not Why I Am So Sad. That production combines text from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice with Elizabethan history and news from 2020 to the present. In doing so, it seeks to illuminate how, during times of upheaval, some people may place blame for their anxieties on an “other."

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - Studying Sacred Texts
play

06/09/23 • 28 min

In the concluding episode of our five-episode series in partnership with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University and of our third season, we investigate the ways in which students respond to Jewish sacred texts. Throughout the episode, we present readings from the Torah and accompanying responses from students.

Dr. Ziva Hassenfeld, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Assistant Professor of Jewish Education, discusses her work in studying how children develop interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, sharing about both the tensions and the opportunities that exist within learning environments.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Dybbukast - Fiction without Romance
play

07/12/24 • 40 min

In this episode, presented in collaboration with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE), we explore Fiction without Romance; or the Locket-Watch, a novel which was written by Maria Polack in the East End of London and published in 1830.

Dr. Heidi Kaufman, Professor of English at the University of Oregon and Regional Museum Educator at OJMCHE, discusses the ways in which the novel, believed to be the first by an Anglo-Jewish writer, upends some of the misconceptions and stereotypes about 19th century life in the East End.

Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Show more best episodes

Toggle view more icon

FAQ

How many episodes does The Dybbukast have?

The Dybbukast currently has 38 episodes available.

What topics does The Dybbukast cover?

The podcast is about Culture, Literature, Society & Culture, Theater, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish, Documentary, Podcasts, Judaism and Theatre.

What is the most popular episode on The Dybbukast?

The episode title 'At Newport' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Dybbukast?

The average episode length on The Dybbukast is 35 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Dybbukast released?

Episodes of The Dybbukast are typically released every 28 days.

When was the first episode of The Dybbukast?

The first episode of The Dybbukast was released on Nov 6, 2020.

Show more FAQ

Toggle view more icon

Comments