The Man in the Sukkah

by Deborah Yarchun

What does it mean to take someone into your home? The Man in the Sukkah is a tale of intergenerational trauma, buried secrets, and questing for identity. Southern Gothic and secular Judaism collide on a former plantation in rural South Carolina where the woods have more ghosts than trees. When Harris and Elaine take in a troubled teenager, Aviva, as their foster daughter - Aviva rebels by insisting on living in...

What does it mean to take someone into your home? The Man in the Sukkah is a tale of intergenerational trauma, buried secrets, and questing for identity. Southern Gothic and secular Judaism collide on a former plantation in rural South Carolina where the woods have more ghosts than trees. When Harris and Elaine take in a troubled teenager, Aviva, as their foster daughter - Aviva rebels by insisting on living in the yard in a sukkah (a temporary hut with three walls used during the Jewish festival of Sukkot). The sudden appearance in Aviva's sukkah of a mysterious man from Elaine's past sends further tremors through their lives. With Aviva at stake, Elaine and Harris must confront a perilous question: can they overcome the downward pull of history and their troubled upbringings to become good parents?

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The Man in the Sukkah

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: The Man in the Sukkah by Deborah Yarchun
    “

    A powerful look at trauma and healing as a family tries to find their way through. Well done.

    A powerful look at trauma and healing as a family tries to find their way through. Well done.

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: The Man in the Sukkah by Deborah Yarchun
    “

    Haunting, image-rich, and theatrical, "The Man in the Sukkah" ties together so many elements--generational and family grief and trauma, faith, the complexities of fostering a child grappling with trauma, and much more--beautifully. As is characteristic of many of her pieces, Yarchun threads through gorgeous, direct, and exquisitely rendered visual metaphors (birds, trees, the language of colors) that amplify the themes and ideas discussed within. The rhythms of tempos of each character are distinct, and I loved the theatricality of the simultaneous scenes. I'd so love to see a production of...

    Haunting, image-rich, and theatrical, "The Man in the Sukkah" ties together so many elements--generational and family grief and trauma, faith, the complexities of fostering a child grappling with trauma, and much more--beautifully. As is characteristic of many of her pieces, Yarchun threads through gorgeous, direct, and exquisitely rendered visual metaphors (birds, trees, the language of colors) that amplify the themes and ideas discussed within. The rhythms of tempos of each character are distinct, and I loved the theatricality of the simultaneous scenes. I'd so love to see a production of this!

    read more
    ”
  • Audrey Lang: The Man in the Sukkah by Deborah Yarchun
    “

    "The Man in the Sukkah" does a great job in addressing the nuances that come along with having Judaism as a part of your identity, and so much more. The parallels between Elaine and Aviva, and between lives and stories, are compelling. The role that color and colorblindness play in this story is also so interesting, and unlike anything I've ever read or seen before!

    "The Man in the Sukkah" does a great job in addressing the nuances that come along with having Judaism as a part of your identity, and so much more. The parallels between Elaine and Aviva, and between lives and stories, are compelling. The role that color and colorblindness play in this story is also so interesting, and unlike anything I've ever read or seen before!

    ”
View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

  • Aviva
    Incredibly bright, delusionally adult. A childhood sexual abuse survivor.
    (Note: The actress playing Aviva should avoid at all possible costs playing the maudlin / depressed teenager. Aviva’s not.)
    14
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Elaine
    An art therapist and new foster mother. Pragmatic. Constrained. She collects broken birds.
    39
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Harris
    Elaine’s husband. A freelance carpenter. Legally color-blind. He is blinded by bright lights, but has incredible night vision. Both tender and rough.
    40s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Nate
    A drifter. Sometimes very human, sometimes unsettling. He carries himself with a tension and a stillness, as if he’s on the edge of a cliff.
    36
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Workshop, Theatre Ariel, 2018
  • Reading, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, 2015
  • Workshop, The Playwrights' Center, 2014
  • Workshop, Jewish Plays Project, 2013

Production History

  • University, University of Iowa, 2012

Awards

  • Jewish Plays Project's National Competition
    Jewish Plays Project
    Finalist
    2012
  • Richard Maibaum Playwriting Award
    University of Iowa
    Winner
    2012
  • Kennedy Center's Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award
    KCACTF
    Winner
    2012
  • Kentucky Women Writer's Conference Prize for Women Playwrights
    Kentucky Women Writer's Conference
    Finalist
    2013
  • Jewish Ensemble Theatre Festival of New Plays
    Jewish Ensemble Theatre
    Winner
    2015