Children of the Ghetto

Children of the Ghetto is Israel Zangwill’s epic tale of Jewish life in London, published in1892, describing both the poverty of the East End and the wealthy lives of the established Jews in the West End. Zangwill drew on his experiences of growing up in Whitechapel to paint a detailed and understanding picture of the lives of the immigrants. Children of theGhetto is both a landmark work of modern Jewish fiction as well as an essential late Victorian text. In this one-off reading, Henry Goodman and fellow actors bring to life Zangwill's vivid and realistic descriptions of the Jewish East End.

Award-winning actor Henry Goodman has played many leading roles in films, theatre and television. His many awards for appearance at National Theatre & RSC ,West End & Broadway have always been intertwined with his teaching at Guildhall, RADA , BADA, and The Actors centre. He is recording the title role in Arnold Wesker’s play Shylock  that goes out in March on BBC Radio 3. His edited the reading of Children of the Ghetto and is planning to do more and more directing.

Beverley Klein is well known to theatre audiences across the country from her appearances with the National Theatre (including Honk!, Candide, Summerfolk, and Romeo and Juliet); she was in the original cast of Les Miserables, appeared in Sarrasine, and A Judgement in Stone for Neil Bartlett and Nicolas Bloomfield's company, Gloria, and as an acclaimed Mrs Lovett in Opera North's production of Sweeney Todd. She can currently be seen on TV in Casualty.

Kerry Shale is a Canadian actor and writer. He has performed solo shows in Edinburgh, London, and Off Broadway, played in many films - The Jacket, Jude, Little Shop of Horrors and Yentl.- and acted in over a hundred radio plays, read Bill Bryson's travel books, has won a Sony Award as Best Radio Actor. He has written articles for The Guardian and Word Magazine, a BAFTA-nominated video game for Sony, columns for BBC Radio 4's Front Row.

Tracy-Ann Oberman joins the cast of Two Thousand Years at the National Theatre  in January. A former regular on the BBC Radio Rep, she has performed in a host of BBC plays, and as writer/performer on News Review, Comedy Nation and Harringham Harker.  Theatre-wise, Tracy appeared at Chichester in Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Loot, which transferred to the West End. At the RSC, Stratford, she appeared in Macbeth, The Changeling, Tamburlaine and The Beggar's Opera. She played Chrissie in EastEnders.