Jewish Religious Observance in the American Theater

HowlRound: The sudden and collective intake of air was not only audible, but also palpable, as the audience of my classmates gasped when Lilly* embraced me in the improv scene. She had forgotten that she wasn't supposed to touch me. I wasn't going to say anything, as we were already in character in the middle of the scene, and I didn't want to ruin the scene or embarrass my classmate. But clearly for the rest of my class, there was a double drama playing itself out on stage—the drama of the scene, and the drama of a taboo inadvertently being broken.