Salt Off A Bird's Tail by Ruby Lee Lowenstein

A tiny, holy book makes its way through the hands of three generations of Jewish women. Angry children fight a brutal war. A mocking bird calls. This is a story about how to make soup.
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Salt Off A Bird's Tail

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Character Information

These characters are written to be played by Jews of any and many racial and cultural backgrounds. The more Jewish experiences that can be poured into a production of this play, the better. Jews of color should be prioritized in casting.

These characters can also be played by actors who are not Jewish, but in this case, they should WITHOUT EXCEPTION be played by actors of color and/or actors who are immigrants and/or actors of Palestinian descent.

YOUNG DAYA and TORAH CHILD 4 should be played by the same actor.

  • DAYA
    A grandmother,
    Jewish
    ,
    Cis or trans woman
    English is not her first language. She should speak with a thick accent: Yiddish mixed with another language of the actor's choice. Her voice is blunt and powerful. Actors who have lived their lives in more than one language and/or country and/or culture should be prioritized for this role.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • RACHEL
    A mother,
    Jewish
    ,
    Cis or trans woman
    English is her first language. This being said, she has clearly picked up certain hand gestures, pronunciations, intonations, and songs from her mother. Her body is much more perceptive than her mind.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • DAISY
    A daughter,
    Jewish
    ,
    Cis or trans girl
    English is her first language, but she prefers other means of communication. She has the ability to exist in many worlds at once.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • TORAH CHILDREN
    Ancient children,
    Genderless
    They are full of the devilish energies of childhood and war. Their minds are constantly racing. They don’t stop to think.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • YOUNG DAYA
    Between DAISY and RACHEL's ages,
    Jewish
    ,
    Cis or trans woman
    Does not speak English. She is serious, but with a softness not longer present in her older self.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Bennington College
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    New Yiddish Rep Theater
    ,
    2019
  • Workshop
    ,
    Bennington College
    ,
    2017

Production History

  • University
    ,
    Bennington College
    ,
    2021