David Mandelbaum has been producing, and acting in experimental theater in New York for over 35 years. He has worked at La Mama, etc., Theater For The New City, The Common Basis Theater and numerous others. He began his career in Yiddish theater with The Folksbiene, and was featured in their Off-Broadway productions of Yentl, The Lady Next Door, and The Capricious Bride, as well as many readings and outreach performances. He appears in the recently released indie film, David. In 2007 he, with Amy Coleman, founded New Yiddish Rep, and premiered its first show, an adaptation by him of the Holocaust classic, Yosl Rakover Speaks To G-d, directed by Amy Coleman, and has since performed it at the First and Second Montreal International Yiddish Theater Festival, as well as in Rome, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. In its short history New Yiddish Rep has work shopped and developed The Essence: A Yiddish Theater Dim Sum, written and directed by Allan Lewis Rickman, and The Big Bupkis: A Complete Gentile’s Guide to Yiddish Vaudeville, starring Shane Baker. It has presented original film, concerts, performance art, and art exhibitions. It initiated and co-sponsored the Jewish Artists For Haiti benefit immediately after the earthquake. It has recently implemented a weekly Yiddish theater workshop and continues to co-sponsor Yiddish cultural events with organizations like The Congress for Jewish Culture and Yiddish Farm.

David Mandelbaum currently works full time, as artistic Director of New Yiddish Rep, researching, developing, producing and promoting new projects, like the upcoming Transformative Yiddish Theater Festival. He also cheerfully paints, hangs lights, hangs curtains and runs supertitles, lights and sound for all NYR productions that he isn’t acting in.

David founded the New Yiddish Rep Company with his wife, Amy Coleman. He is an artistic director who has worked in non-profit theater for 40 years, as an actor, writer, producer, and director. David has a buddy, Sammy Katz, his cat.