Between Biznes and Art: The Star System and Business Theater in the Jewish Theater Circuit of Buenos Aires

Abstract

In 1930, Buenos Aires witnessed the beginning of the golden age of Jewish theater in Argentina. However, from the first decades of the twentieth century, the development of the theatrical circuit in Yiddish was organized on the basis of a “star system” under which impresarios brought important figures from abroad who, with their fame and prestige, roused the interest of the capital’s Jewish masses and guaranteed the sure success of the season. For some, the visit of the stars was what enabled the Jewish theater in Buenos Aires to survive and grow; for others, it impeded the development of an Argentine-Jewish theater drven by local artists. This article investigates the debates and questionings that were generated around the “star system”, as well as the mode of functioning of the Jewish commercial theater.