Lost Stages of the Lower East Side w/ Cezar Del Valle
On August 18th, 1882, the first professional performance of a Yiddish play in America took place at the Neue Turnhall on East 4th Street. The controversies surrounding that production will be part of a special walking tour by theatre historian Cezar Del Valle.
The tour is a basic introduction to the rich theatrical history of the Lower East Side. Del Valle will lead the group past the sites of dime museums, early film shows, Off-Off Broadway stages, Yiddish and Italian theatres (with a bit of Rock and Roll thrown in for good measure).
We will discover places associated with Irving Berlin, Jimmy Durante, the Minskys, Paul Muni, Molly Picon and Henry Fonda. The walk not only pauses at the alleged birthplace of the striptease but also takes in the 1912 performance of The Yiddish Crown (Adler, Kessler, and Tomashefsky).
Lost Stages of the Lower East Side: Special Walking Tour Saturday, August 13, 2011 12:00pm - 2:00pm $20 per person, RSVP not required Meet: Outside of Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery Map/Directions: Click Here Subway: F train to "2nd Avenue/Lower East Side" More Information: 347-465-7767 | contact form
Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, chosen 2010 OUTSTANDING BOOK OF THE YEAR by the Theatre Historical Society of America.
An artist and freelance writer, Del Valle has also been actively involved in the theatre for over forty years and has written numerous articles on theatre history.
His artwork has been exhibited at galleries, museums, and art centers throughout the United States. It is part of the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum, the Kinsey Institute, and others.
Except for an appearance in an experimental Dutch short, Del Valle's involvement with the theatre has been largely behind the scenes. He has been a concert promoter, an American agent for British musicians, worked in public relations, and managed numerous movie houses in their final years of operation.
Since 1995, he has conducted a series of popular theatre walks and talks. Tuesday Evening Hour, an artists non-profit slide-show program, found Del Valle to be "versatile and effective in his well-crafted presentations."
Don’t miss the 15th anniversary edition of Trav S.D.'s long-running vaudeville show, mixing the hottest contemporary variety acts with Topsy-Turvy songs and comedy sketches, wrapped in a distinctly pre-21st century package.
August 13-26. For a full roster of acts and all the rest of the info, including dates, go here.
On August 18th, 1882, the first professional performance of a Yiddish play in America took place at the Neue Turnhall on East 4th Street. The controversies surrounding that production will be part of a special walking tour by theatre historian Cezar Del Valle. 
The Bowery: A History of