Mira and the Whale

by Jacob Surovsky

They say a whale trawls the ocean’s depths, swallowing up any sunken sinners…and in the whale lives the prophet Jonah and his daughter Mira, who has never seen the sun. But when a hapless craftsman and his creation are swallowed by the whale, Mira’s whale-wide-world is thrown upside down, and now she must find her new place in it.

Inspired by the deepest depths of Jewish mythology, Mira and the Whale is a new...

They say a whale trawls the ocean’s depths, swallowing up any sunken sinners…and in the whale lives the prophet Jonah and his daughter Mira, who has never seen the sun. But when a hapless craftsman and his creation are swallowed by the whale, Mira’s whale-wide-world is thrown upside down, and now she must find her new place in it.

Inspired by the deepest depths of Jewish mythology, Mira and the Whale is a new story based on a very, very old "tail".

Content warning:
Abuse, religious topics, body horror, and descriptions of gore and physical assault.

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Mira and the Whale

Recommended by

  • Ben Wendel: Mira and the Whale by Jacob Surovsky
    “

    Mira and the Whale is wittily poignant, funny and fun, and deeply, shockingly disturbing. Surovsky toes the line between myth, absurdism, and body horror in this beautifully theatrical play. A meditation on sin, absolution, forgiveness, and fatherhood, this play wraps together Jewish fables with delicate puppetry, strong characters, and a poetic lyricism to the dialogue.

    Mira and the Whale is wittily poignant, funny and fun, and deeply, shockingly disturbing. Surovsky toes the line between myth, absurdism, and body horror in this beautifully theatrical play. A meditation on sin, absolution, forgiveness, and fatherhood, this play wraps together Jewish fables with delicate puppetry, strong characters, and a poetic lyricism to the dialogue.

    ”

Character Information

These characters are written with Jewish actors in mind.
  • Jonah
    Of "and the whale" fame
    60ish
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Mira
    Jonah's daughter
    20ish
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • The Yedua
    The Man of the Field
    Should be portrayed using a puppet
    ???
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • The Muddy Man
    The Builder of the Golem
    30ish
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
  • The Mermaid
    The Patron of the Whale
    200ish
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s

Development History