SHLOYME SHTEYNBERG

SHLOYME SHTEYNBERG (1891-July 1, 1938)

            He was a playwright, born in Shveksne (Sveksna), Lithuania.  His Anglicized first name was Sam.  He attended his father’s religious elementary school and later the Shkudvil (Skaudvilė) yeshiva.  In 1903 he moved with his family to Philadelphia.  He was a theatrical prompter and actor.  He wrote numerous dramas, comedies, and operettas which were not published, but all of them were staged, for example: Der misteyk in lebn (The mistake in life) (1917); Freydn un laydn (Joys and suffering) (1917); Soydes fun libe (Secrets of love), Farloyrene yugnt (Lost youth), A khaver in lebn (A friend in life), Di tsvey khaverim (The two friends), Got fun libe (God of love)—1918; Vos yede meydl darf visn (What every girl should know) (1919); Zayn bruders vayb (His brother’s wife), Vi meydlekh libn (How girls love), Dos farheyrate leben, drama in 4 akten (The married life, a drama in four acts)—1920; Blinde froyen (Blind wives) (1921); Der erlekher veg (The virtuous way), Benkende hertser (Homesick hearts), Fargesene mames (Forgotten others)—1922; Gekoyfte kinder (Purchased children), Khayke in zibetn himl (Khayke in seventh heaven), Hulye kabtsn (The wild pauper), Ales far a mame (Everything for a mother), In nomen fun got (In the name of God)—1923; Dos rebns kheyshek (The rabbi’s desire) (1924) with Y. Rozenberg; A leson in libe (A lesson in love), Far zayn kind (For his child), A froy fun der velt (A woman of the world)—1926; Khosn-kale mazl-tov (Congratulations to the bride and groom), A khazndl af shabes (A cantor on the Sabbath) with Arn Nager, Ir mames khasene kleyd (Her mother’s wedding dress) with Maks Gebil—1927; Zayn ershte froy (His first wife), Brodvey bay nakht (Broadway at night)—1928; Dos vaybele (The little wife) (1929); A vaybele vi mayn mame (A little wife like my mother) (1930); Der kleyner bandit (The little bandit) (1934); A vayb af baytog (A wife in the daytime) (1935); Minke fun brodvey (Minke from Broadway) (1936); Dos galitsyaner rebele (The little Galician rebbe) with Louis Freyman, Di velt iz meshuge (The world is crazy), Di freylekhe zingerin (The happy singer [female])—1937.  Other plays left in manuscript: Ven a man liebt, melodrama in fier akten (When a man loves, a melodrama in four acts); Praktishe froyen oder der narisher man (Practical women or a foolish man); Geliebte, vayb un mame, moral-drama in fier akten (Beloved, wife and mother, a moral drama in four acts); Tsores un mener, muzikalishe komedye in 3 akten (Troubles and husbands, a musical comedy in three acts); Di gerekhtigkeyt, drama in 4 akten (Justice, a drama in four acts); Rokhls kinder, melodrama in 3 akten (Rachel’s children, a melodrama in three acts), with William Segal; Dankbarkeyt, familyen-drama in 4 akten (Gratitude, a family drama in four acts); Natur-liebe, komedye-drama in 3 akten (Love of nature, a comedic drama in three acts); Papirene kinder, 3 akten (Paper children, three acts) with William Segal.  He died in New York.

Source: Zalmen Zilbertsvayg, Leksikon fun yidishn teater (Handbook of the Yiddish theater), vol. 4 (New York, 1963); Perlmuter archive, YIVO (New York).

Berl Cohen

[Additional information from: Berl Kagan, comp., Leksikon fun yidish-shraybers (Biographical dictionary of Yiddish writers) (New York, 1986), col. 524.]