LOUIS KREMER (KRAMER)

LOUIS KREMER (KRAMER) (September 22, 1872-May 9, 1964)

            He was a playwright, born in Grodno.  He moved with his parents to the United States in 1888.  Until 1902 he was active in the Jewish labor movement and later a professional actor and theater director in New York.  At age fourteen he wrote a play entitled Dem arbeters sod (The worker’s secret).  He wrote numerous sketches for the Yiddish theater, all of which were staged: Der tsienist (The Zionist), Fremde mames (Strange mothers), Di farshpetigte khupe (The belated wedding canopy), Dos umgliklekhe maydl (The unhappy girl), Sore koten (Sarah Koten), Mendl beylis, oder aliles-dam (Mendel Beilis, or a blood libel) which was written with Leyb Kaner, Di gedemedzhte familye (The damaged family), Shtrof far zind (Punishment for sin), Farshemt a tate (A father disgraced), Der griner khosn (The green bridegroom), Dem farmers tokhter (The farmer’s daughter), and Zindike mener (Sinful people), among others.  Among Kremer’s best-known plays is the comedy Shnayders shpiln teater (Tailors act in theater).  He published memoirs of the Yiddish theater in Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day-morning journal) (1961-1962) in New York and Penemer un penemlekh (Appearances, big and small) in Buenos Aires.  He died in New York.

Source: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 6 (Mexico City, 1969).

Yekhezkl Lifshits