TAMAR, The Two-Gated City by Emma Goldman-Sherman

FULL LENGTH Young Tamar is about to be married, but first she needs to know what happened to her aunt. With a ghost seeking a witness, and a witness committed to silence, only Young Tamar can question how we can find agency and new ways of knowing in an unjust world.

2 rapist culture stories from the Bible, adapted for 3 women. With 3 simple a capella songs, this highly theatrical (easily...
FULL LENGTH Young Tamar is about to be married, but first she needs to know what happened to her aunt. With a ghost seeking a witness, and a witness committed to silence, only Young Tamar can question how we can find agency and new ways of knowing in an unjust world.

2 rapist culture stories from the Bible, adapted for 3 women. With 3 simple a capella songs, this highly theatrical (easily producible) drama inspires us to see ourselves in a new light.
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TAMAR, The Two-Gated City

Recommended by

  • Chelsea Frandsen:
    1 Mar. 2022
    “ A conversation about the Bible has the potential to be difficult. A conversation about rape has equal potential to be difficult. However, Goldman-Sherman tackles these difficult but very relevant subjects in this eye-opening story with poetry and power told through the voices of women that actresses would love to sink their teeth into. Also, it's in verse! ”
  • Jewish Plays Project:
    14 Feb. 2022
    “ The Jewish Plays Project recommends TAMAR, The Two-Gated City as a Semi-Finalist for the 11th annual Jewish Playwriting Contest. Our community of readers found this play highly compelling as it critiques a history that has marginalized and brutalized women, and examines the impact of not speaking out, in a manner that feels new and relevant. We enjoyed the poetic vision, the tension between perspectives, and the deep questioning of stories that we take at face value. TAMAR rose to the top 20 out of 250 plays and we hope this play swiftly finds opportunities to reach new audiences. ”
  • Aleks Merilo:
    6 Sep. 2019
    “ "Stand up tall. You will stand for us all, past and future". With this line, Emma Goldman Sherman astonishingly manages to connect the books of the bible to the #me-too era. Overtly provocative and extremely bold, this script creates a juxtaposition of 2 subjects guaranteed to force hard conversations: Rape, and the bible. Terse dialogue plays along side poetic monologues that could almost serve as short plays of their own. Emma accomplishes the nearly impossible task of taking biblical fables and making them personal and immediate. By the end of this play, no sacred cows are spared. Bravo! ”
View all 6 recommendations

Character Information

  • YOUNG TAMAR
    Teens,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    YOUNG TAMAR is a girl, late teens, plays slightly younger than AUNT TAMAR. Any race/ethnicity, probably but not necessarily the same as AUNT TAMAR. Clean, well-dressed, innocent version of her aunt. Probably this role should be cast with an adult playing a younger person.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • AUNT TAMAR
    Teens,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    AUNT TAMAR is a woman, late teens, plays slightly older than YOUNG TAMAR. Any race/ethnicity, probably but not nessarily the same as YOUNG TAMAR. Bruised and dusty - she has been covering herself with the sandy earth to indicate her desperate state. Her garments which were fine are torn to rags.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • ABIDA
    40s, 50s, 60s, 70s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Abida is mid-forties or older. SHE lives and works as a servant in the House of Amnon (even though Amnon has been dead now about ten years). A different ethnicity or look from the two TAMARs, but it’s not about that as much as it’s about women, period.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Empty Room Radio, podcast
    ,
    2022
  • Reading
    ,
    Marble Collegiate Church
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Folksbien Theatre at The Museum of Jewish Heritage
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Renegade Festival, MI
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Connect, Astoria First Presbyterian Church, NYC
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    Connect, Union Theological Seminary
    ,
    2016

Awards

Winner
,
Full Length Play
,
Renegade N.O.W. Festival
,
2018