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...
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:
    7 Nov. 2023
    “ 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
    60ish
    Of "and the whale" fame
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Mira
    20ish
    Jonah's daughter
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • The Yedua
    ???
    The Man of the Field
    Should be portrayed using a puppet
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • The Muddy Man
    30ish
    The Builder of the Golem
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • The Mermaid
    200ish
    The Patron of the Whale
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History