Shiva in the Garden of Eden

Synopsis

Estranged family members, a contested will and an enraged ghost collide in this dysfunctional family play set in a post-pandemic New York. Shiva in the Garden of Eden is the story of an immigrant family unraveling after the death of an unhinged matriarch. Can the center hold when the mother’s ghost barges in and breaks things? Can a husband risk coming out of his wife’s shadow even after her death? And can the black sheep daughter forgive the sister who betrayed her? Shiva explores the price we pay for being true to ourselves in a family that rewards only loyalty.

Valley Players will be performing a staged reading of Shiva in the Garden of Eden on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1 pm in Napa, CA. More information and a link to registration can be found here. The performance is being sponsored by Congregation Beth Shalom. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so please register. The reading will be followed by a talk-back with the playwright and cast.

This is the second staged reading of Shiva by Valley Players. The first reading in August, 2022 was sold out, and was so well-received that several audience members requested that their synagogue sponsor a second reading. You can see some short clips and hear audience responses from the first staged reading here.

The Mendocino Theatre also performed a staged reading of Shiva in the fall of 2022. Several other staged readings and a possible full production are in the works. If you would like to consider the play for your theater, please email Daphne via her contact form here.