The drama was translated into English by Caraid O'Brien, a young Galway native who has made something of a name for herself in recent years as an unlikely champion of the Yiddish language. She majored in Yiddish literature at Boston University and took classes at Hebrew College in Brookline. A strapping woman with pale skin and bright blonde hair, she spent her junior year—picture this—at Hebrew University Jerusalem teaching Ethiopian monks to speak Hebrew. O'Brien was commissioned by the National Foundation of Jewish Culture to translate Motke Thief, which takes a look at a criminal mind. Asch is also the author of the more famous work, God of Vengeance.
Aaron Beall, the erstwhile artistic director of the defunct Off-Broadway theatre Nada and one of the three founders of the New York International Theatre Festival, will direct a cast of 14, including O'Brien herself.
Tickets are $15. Call (212) 868-4444.
