Amateur and Community-Based Theatre Within Jewish Organizational Spaces in Post-World War II America

This dissertation examines amateur and community-based Jewish theatrical performance in Jewish organizational spaces in the United States since World War II, arguing that such productions simultaneously reflect and construct localized Jewish American communities. To define what constitutes a Jewish community, I employ Rabbi Mordechai M. Kaplan’s term Am (which roughly translates to “people” or “nation”). This study moves beyond Broadway and professional stages, instead focusing on performances staged at Jewish communal sites including Jewish summer camps, synagogues, and Jewish Community Centers across the country. Through case studies including Ladino-inflected productions at a Sephardic synagogue, musical theatre performances on community theatre stages at JCCs, and educationally motivated youth-centered camp shows, I demonstrate how amateur and community-based theatre functions as a site where Jewish American identity is rehearsed, negotiated, and embodied.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theatre

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Greene, Jonah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bial, Henry

• Amateur Theatre
• Community Theatre
• Jewish Community
• Jewish Organizational Life
• Jewish Theatre
• Theatre History

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

https://www.proquest.com/LegacyDocView/DISSNUM/32673701

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/39510