YICHUD (Seclusion)
by Julie Tepperman
Photography by Keith Barker. Click here for photo credits.
“From every human being there is a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls that are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together and a single, brighter light goes forth from their united being.”
About YICHUD (Seclusion)
Original poster for the 2009 Next Stage Festival production. Photo by Sandy Plunkett.
Designed by The Toronto Fringe.
Rachel & Chaim are Orthodox Jews living in Toronto. They have requested an arranged marriage and today is their wedding day.
Yichud (pronounced “YEE-chood”) is a Hebrew word that means seclusion. The “Yichud Room” is the place where the bride & groom go to be alone together immediately following the wedding ceremony. In the case of Rachel & Chaim, who’ve only had a handful of chaperoned dates, this is the first time they have ever been alone together.
In another part of the Synagogue, tensions rise between the groom’s older brothers Ephraim & Menachem, rival Torah scholars who haven’t seen each other in four years. Meanwhile, the bride’s parents Mordechai & Malka are secretly planning to divorce after the wedding. In a last attempt to woo her back, Mordechai takes some unorthodox measures.
YICHUD (Seclusion) directly confronts the tensions that exist in the Orthodox Jewish world between tradition and modernity, powerfully dramatizing issues of love, sex, marriage, faith, religion, respect, honour, and duty. The setting is specifically Jewish; the story is universal and life-affirming.
Audience Experience:
from theatre to synagogue…
Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM), where YICHUD (Seclusion) was largely developed, underwent a remarkable makeover from theatre to synagogue, thanks to Beth Kates’ extraordinary design. With Jewish art on the walls, mezuzahs on every door frame, a yahrzeit (memorial) board, and even a notice board for community events such as births and bar/bat mitzvahs, the transformation of the theatre space was so detailed and thorough that several audience members remarked, “How wonderful you got permission to do a play in an old Synagogue!”
Julie Tepperman and Aaron Willis on the cover of the Ottawa Xpress on June 2, 2011.
We invited the audience to feel like “Wedding Guests” from the moment they entered the building. In fact, the experience began on the street, where our live klezmer band could be heard from within playing traditional Jewish wedding music (arranged by musical director Aviva Chernick). If they looked up, they would see a large wooden Star of David and Hebrew letters affixed over the usual TPM sign, which we translated as “Theatre Beyond Walls”.
Once in the lobby, “Wedding Guests” were handed programs, not for the playbill, but for “Rachel & Chaim’s Wedding” and were invited to sign the guest book, leaving wishes of “Mazel Tov!”. Some people even left cheques for their “honeymoon fund”!
Upon entering the theatre proper, men were offered kippot (head coverings), and individuals were encouraged to separate by gender: women were invited to participate in a pre-ceremony Kabbalas Panim (bridal reception) with the bride and female relatives downstairs, and men were invited to celebrate with the groom and male relatives upstairs for a similar reception, a Tish.
Audience members dance the Hora as part of the pre-show wedding celebrations at the Magnetic North production, Ottawa 2011.
Some people followed these instructions like good students, where others chose to be more adventurous, breaking the rules and going where they otherwise would not be allowed to venture if this were an actual Orthodox wedding. With the help of a chorus of wedding guests (played by twelve recent theatre school grads), audiences were invited to dance, toast, and receive or offer a blessing to the bride and groom; some people even went so far as to create their own characters, delightfully improvising with the actors during this half-hour pre-show wedding celebration.
A play cannot happen without an audience; similarly, a wedding cannot take place without witnesses and celebrants. No audience member was forced to participate, but simply by showing up their presence was valued, and they were made to feel welcome from the moment they entered the space. Whether they chose to participate in the celebrations or witness it from their seat, the joy in the room was palpable; once the lights went down and the play proper began, we could feel their investment in this world and in these characters.
To read more about this immersive experience, check out an interview published in the Canadian Theatre Review: “The YICHUD Room: Performing Jewish Spaces” by Shira Schwartz, in conversation with Julie Tepperman and Aaron Willis.
Reviews
“…the final episode with Chaim and Rachel is funny, warm and filled with a generosity of spirit sure to touch viewers of any background.”
“This show deserves to be on Broadway.”
“...an off-Broadway run doesn’t seem like such a stretch.”
“NNNN — It’s really grown and deepened since Next Stage. I love the structure of the piece – how we see just enough of the people around the couple to understand the challenges facing them as they embark on their journey together. Beautifully done!”
“Moment by moment it’s well written and excellently acted.”
“It’s to the great credit of playwright Julie Tepperman and her tremendous heart and intelligence, that she creates a world and characters with which we can all identify…her writing is smart, perceptive, and at times it does cut close to the bone. … A vibrant, lively, moving production, YICHUD (Seclusion) is a huge, impressive accomplishment. …When theatre is done well, the result is glorious; YICHUD (Seclusion) is done very, very well. I recommend it, very, very highly.”
“…there’s something recognizable and relatable in every relationship in the play…by showing the real pains, tensions, and joys that come from observing seemingly rigid traditions in a modern world, YICHUD (Seclusion) offers a realistic look at love, marriage, and human relations that can be appreciated by Jews and non-Jews alike.”
Previews
"Wedding Crashers"
by Richard Ouzounian
Published on February 4, 2010
"Inside the Yichud Room with Julie Tepperman"
by Miriam Cross
Published on February 9, 2010
“Fantastic Mosaic”
by Cormac Rea
Published on June 2, 2011
"Interactive play brings Orthodox wedding to life"
by Joseph Serge
Published on February 4, 2010
“An Unorthodox (Orthodox) Production”
by Michael Kaminer
Published on February 17, 2010
Audience Testimonials
“YICHUD (Seclusion) is a sensitive and realistic portrayal of the world of “matchmaking” that anyone in a traditional community of any kind can relate to, but especially if you are Jewish. It is also a downright fun, funny, and joyful play.”
“YICHUD (Seclusion) is a very good night at the theatre. It does all that great a play should; entertain, make you laugh, maybe cry, and most importantly have you leaving looking at the world around you ever so slightly differently.”
“Being of the Christian faith and never having been to a Jewish wedding was exciting for both of us – we loved the tradition and ceremony. And the music! It was all we could do not to jump up every time the band played. We were in the presence of greatness last night and our hearts are full.”
“I loved the story. Although my family’s Catholic-Scottish culture is different, I completely connected to the soul of the piece. The relationships are all beautifully drawn and the characters get at you really slowly and powerfully. I can’t say enough about it.”
“Your piece is courageous in its honesty and scope. I appreciate that you take on such intimate topics, challenging traditional, sometimes regressive and oppressive, ‘doctrines’ of sexuality within the context of a faith-based community. Your work is intelligent, heart-filled and deeply meaningful; it was touching to see how affirming it was to those in attendance.”
“YICHUD (Seclusion) is a beautifully constructed, sexually charged joy from beginning to end. Although the play takes place in an Orthodox Jewish world, its focus on sex and marriage will strike a chord in the greater community.”
“As outsiders to the Jewish faith, we felt totally welcomed in and we both appreciated the amount of learning we had – on top of the pure enjoyment. The detailed transformation of the theatre into a synagogue, the live band, staging, dialogue, performances, direction – everything was wonderful. This show is something special – it’s insightful, critical, joyful, smart and so rich in its emotional life. We left with a wonderful feeling and wanted to tell everyone about it.”
“For anyone curious (or simply perplexed) about orthodoxy, YICHUD (Seclusion) is a real treat. The play immerses the spectator in an Orthodox wedding and puts a human face on religious practices that often seem quite alien. At times endearing and frequently very funny, YICHUD (Seclusion) reminds us that the Judaism we share transcends denominational differences.”
Donors – 2010 Premiere
Zukerman Family Foundation
BMO Financial Group
City of Toronto Culture
ShaRna Foundation
L&J Siegel Family Fund
David & Ellen Cowan
Gloria Shulman
Risa & Perry Tepperman
Anonymous
Andrew Akman
Bonnie Anderson
Maev Beaty & Alan Dilworth
Chris Bell
Ben Chalsson & Beth Kates
Karl Druckman & Lisa Gelboin
Rachel Birenbaum
Elizabeth Bohnen
Sarah Brodbar-Nemzer in honour of Julie & Aaron
Leanna Brodie in memory of R. David Brodie
Beatrice Campbell in memory of Douglas Campbell
Ari Cohen & Lisa Ryder
Jack Colman & Deborah Fisher in honour of Julie & Aaron and Beverly Harris and their friendship with Sarah and Jared (and Mo)
Beverly Cooper
David Copelin
Andrew Craig
Carina A. D'Brass Cassidy
Lynda Del Grande
Rabbi Edward Elkin & Iinda Lipsky in honour of Julie & Aaron
Michael Er-el in honour of Julie & Aaron
Debbie Fein-Goldbach
David 'S.K.' Ferry
Barbara Fingerote
Michael Firestone
Leslie French
Fusion Artists Inc.
David Gale
Harold & Nancy Gall
Michael Healey
Sarah Henriques
Suzanne Hindmarch & Tyler Somers
Camilla Holland
Jill Hutson in honour of Kevin Hutson
Marcia Johnson
Shelagh Hewitt Kareda
Jon Kaplan
Christine Kristenbrun
Judith Lamb
Michele Landsberg
Julia Lederer
Arwen MacDonell
Bridget MacIntosh
Ross Manson
Harold & Ruth Margles
Mike McPhaden
Ruth & Eric Miller
Neil & Laraine Naft
Lucille Narun
Alon Nashman
Michael Nathanson
Ross Neilson
Nancy Paris in honour of Diane Flacks
Jared Peck & Sarah Colman
Brenlee Robinson
Karen Robinson
Anusree Roy
Dianne Saxe in memory of Beatrice Saxe
Leora Schaefr & David Moscovitch
Adam Seelig
Anita Shir-Jacob
Sharoni Sibony
Nancy Singer
The Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts
Nathalie Toriel & Brandon McGibbon
Sandra Tulloch
Zeynep Uraz & Alan Vu
Nan Weiner
Sherri Weisz in honour of Tamara Weisz
Bradley & Zetta Willis
Peter C. Wylde
Joshua & Alison Engel-Yan in honour of Julie & Aaron
Morden Yolles
Hersh Zeifman
7 Anonymous Donors
Donors – 2011 Remount & Tour
Toronto re-mount & Magnetic North Theatre Festival (Ottawa)
$5019 - $10,000 - “Big Macher”
ShaRna Foundation
with much gratitude to Sharon Weintraub
$1019 - $5018 - “Mishpocha” (Family)
Jo and Jules Harris *
David and Ellen Cowan
* With special thanks to Antoni Cimolino, Rachel Smith-Spencer, and the Stratford Festival of Canada.
$519 - $1018 - “Machetunim” (The In-Laws)
Alana and Martin Birt
$18 - $518 - “Chaverim” (Friends of the Bride & Groom)
Karl Druckman & Lisa Gelboin
Brenda & Jerry Enchin
Michael Feldman & Nanette Rosen
Laraine and Neil Naft
Jared Peck and Sarah Colman
Patricia and David Rubin Family Trust
Carrie Sager
Barbara Track (in honour of Lucinda Williams)
Zeynep Uraz and Alan Vu
* One layer of wedding cake was generously sponsored by Pat Bradley, in memory of Jan McIntyre
Cover design by Beth Kates
Publishing
YICHUD (Seclusion) is published by Playwrights Canada Press. Buy it now as a paperback or ebook.
Rights
The rights for YICHUD (Seclusion) are currently available. Please direct all inquiries below.