stage
The Apocryphal Jew
The Apocryphal Jew
K. j. Wignall
K. j. Wignall
"The Apocryphal Jew" is a riotous black comedy set in the Medieval town of Tewkesbury in the year 1260. It tells the supposedly true story of the town's only Jewish inhabitant, Solomon, who falls into a sewer on a Saturday. Unable to get out, and unable to accept help on his Sabbath, he elects to stay in there. On Sunday, the local Lord, Richard de Clare, pronounces that Solomon must also observe the Christian Sabbath. By Monday, he's dead. On the surface, it's little more than an unpleasant, anti-Semitic anecdote, but it survived for over 700 years - why? The play explores the role of the outsider in society, of "otherness", and the story at its heart remains vital to us today, speaking as it does of all those who are excluded for being different, whether because of race, religion, sexuality or any other minority trait.
The first professional production of "The Apocryphal Jew" is scheduled to take place in September 2025 (more details TBA). In the meantime, we're allowing schools, colleges and universities to mount productions without a performance license (as long as the final performance takes place before August 1st 2025). In addition, a PDF of the script is available below, which may be printed freely for rehearsal and performance purposes. We ask only that you let us know if you're presenting the play by contacting the author directly (see contacts page). If you're unable to utilize PDF files, or have problems downloading, again, please contact K directly and he'll be happy to send the file by email.