After fleeing a family funeral, a young woman named Jukie bursts into the kitchen of her home with the black wreath and box of ashes and proceeds to stomp all over the wreath. It’s an emotional day for Jukie, which is made worse with her father’s attempts to console her in the most clumsy way possible. Their conversation soon turns into an outpouring of repressed grievances, unaware that they are more alike than they thought.
Even a visit from Jukie’s estranged uncle Hale, a priest who has spent more time in the wilds of the Andes than at home where he’s needed, can’t help her with her loss.
JUKIE & HER DAD is a clever and emotional comedy with a daughter and father not just opening their emotional baggage, but dumping them all over the kitchen floor. They collide over their differing perceptions of their relationship, Dad’s awkward parenting, whether frog-shaped Lily Pad Larry biscuits are pure evil, and whatever possessed him to name her ‘Jukie’.
Keywords: funeral, grief, memories, father, daughter, family, relationships, emotional, misunderstanding
Produced by Saint John Theatre Company, Saint John NB, 2018
Genre: Dramatic Comedy
Acts: 1
Run time: 45 minutes
Suitable for students 16+
Content Notes: Contains references to death, cancer, a car accident
Cast size: 3 actors
Male roles: 2
Female roles: 1
Casting breakdown:
JUKIE: female, 20 years old
DAD: male, 47 years old
HALE: Male, 42 years old