Ozzy Irving Gold-Shapiro is a curious historian, Yiddishist, cultural worker, and raconteur living on Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Nonotuck land in so-called western Massachusetts. They have been involved as a researcher, translator, and performer in a number of archival Yiddish-based performance projects that seek to destabilize traditional historical narratives. Recent projects include Jenny Romaine’s “The Revival of the Gravediggers of Uzda,” A. C. Weaver's "Plague Wedding," and “Vu bistu geven?/Where Have You Been?," a film about the history of the land where Klezkanada takes place. They also appeared as Bum in the Folksbiene's staged reading of Kadya Molodowsky's "Ale fentster tsu der zun" (dir. Jenny Romaine). They play ukulele and sing in the klezmer band Burikes, and orchestrate multigenerational, community-led spectacle theater parades based on the Jewish calendar. They are also on the organizing team of KlezCummington, a yearly festival celebrating Yiddishkayt and klezmer music, and highlighting local artists involved in this important cultural work.
