The Great Bagel Smuggle

by Danielle Wirsansky

TEN MINUTE PLAY

As a train prepares to depart early 20th-century Russia, sharp-witted Jewish grandmother Dvorah desperately searches for someone—anyone—to carry her beloved bagel recipe to her daughter fleeing the country. But with written recipes banned by suspicious customs officers, Dvorah must convince a grumpy, reluctant stranger to memorize the instructions before the train leaves the station. What...

TEN MINUTE PLAY

As a train prepares to depart early 20th-century Russia, sharp-witted Jewish grandmother Dvorah desperately searches for someone—anyone—to carry her beloved bagel recipe to her daughter fleeing the country. But with written recipes banned by suspicious customs officers, Dvorah must convince a grumpy, reluctant stranger to memorize the instructions before the train leaves the station. What follows is a chaotic baking lesson, a bagel-fueled bribe, and a cross-border act of culinary resistance.

A joyful, food-filled story of family, legacy, and the chewy power of tradition.

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The Great Bagel Smuggle

Recommended by

  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn: The Great Bagel Smuggle by Danielle Wirsansky
    “

    I adore the dialogue in this play! It's comic and poetic and just a little defiant! All much needed things in this world...also delicious carbs! This is a delightful piece that will have audiences laughing, a little nervous and a lot hungry for more than just bagels! One shouldn't have to give up their heritage while running for liberty.

    I adore the dialogue in this play! It's comic and poetic and just a little defiant! All much needed things in this world...also delicious carbs! This is a delightful piece that will have audiences laughing, a little nervous and a lot hungry for more than just bagels! One shouldn't have to give up their heritage while running for liberty.

    ”
  • Asher Wyndham: The Great Bagel Smuggle by Danielle Wirsansky
    “

    This is a gem of a ten minute, one of the most beautiful and poetic I have read in a long time. A powerful play about heritage and ritual and family.

    This is a gem of a ten minute, one of the most beautiful and poetic I have read in a long time. A powerful play about heritage and ritual and family.

    ”
  • Len Cuthbert: The Great Bagel Smuggle by Danielle Wirsansky
    “

    Wirsansky has written an entertaining, full of heart, comedy that is smart and character-driven, and the stakes feel meaningful.

    Wirsansky has written an entertaining, full of heart, comedy that is smart and character-driven, and the stakes feel meaningful.

    ”
View all 8 recommendations

Character Information

DVORAH – (60s–70s)
A fierce and funny Jewish grandmother with a bottomless bag of metaphors and a deep love for her family—and her bagels. She’s resourceful, guilt-wielding, and fully committed to preserving tradition by any means necessary.

YURI – (20s–40s)
A reluctant migrant with a sharp tongue and a guarded heart. Cynical, dry, and just trying to get through the bureaucracy of emigration without forming attachments—or learning to bake.

MIKHAIL – (40s–60s)
A gruff, rule-following customs officer who’s seen it all… until someone hands him a bagel that stirs his soul. Suspicious by nature but ultimately indifferent when well-fed.

  • Dvorah
    A fierce and funny Jewish grandmother with a bottomless bag of metaphors and a deep love for her family—and her bagels. She’s resourceful, guilt-wielding, and fully committed to preserving tradition by any means necessary.
    (60s–70s)
    Jewish
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Yuri
    A reluctant migrant with a sharp tongue and a guarded heart. Cynical, dry, and just trying to get through the bureaucracy of emigration without forming attachments—or learning to bake.
    (20s–40s)
    Jewish
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary
  • Mikhail
    A gruff, rule-following customs officer who’s seen it all… until someone hands him a bagel that stirs his soul. Suspicious by nature but ultimately indifferent when well-fed.

    (40s–60s)
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary