One of the customers at the Yoders produce stand was Mark Cummings, who owned a bed and breakfast in nearby Shipshewana. Mark and Levi struck up a friendship, because he was someone Levi could talk to about theater, and Levi always showed Mark the wonders of nature on the Yoder farm.

Levi revealed his interest in theater and his friendship with Mark to his father. Aaron told Levi Mark was gay, which Levi did not understand before. He forbade the friendship and also Levis interest in theater, since it was too worldly. Levi agreed.

A customer accidentally left behind a tube of lipstick at the produce stand. Mary, Levi’s sister, found it, and, in a fit of laughter with Levi, she mimicked the Englishers, or non-Amish, customers. She painted her lips, removed her bonnet, and hiked up her skirts, and she and Levi were consumed with gales of laughter. Unfortunately, their father, Aaron, discovered her and decided she must be shunned for four weeks. She could not speak to anyone, could not see her beloved horse, and had to take her meals alone.

Levi tried explaining to his father that there was no sin in Mary’s heart, and that they were just funning, to no avail. Furious at his father for shunning his sister, Levi decided to take his rumspringa, go into New York with Mark and his partner, and see theater.

In Act II, Levi returns home. As Levi and Mark relive some of the more-memorable moments of their New York trip together, Gary Smith happens by. Gary, the shunned Amish young man, full of bitterness and hatred for the Amish community, torments Levi and Mark, because he knows Mark is gay. Mark offers to get psychiatric help for Gary, infuriating him even more. Gary swears he will seek revenge.

Levi’s father welcomes Levi home, washes his feet, and they plan together Levi’s future there on the farm, now that he will be baptized an Amish man. They share a meal together, and the family goes to bed, anxious for the next morning when Mary will rejoin the family, and they will be complete again.

That night, Gary returns to the Yoder farm and burns their barn. Mary runs out to the barn to save her horse, but he is overcome with smoke and falls on her. They both die.

Aaron learns the truth, that Gary was infuriated at Mark and Levi, that Levi went away to see theater in New York , which Aaron forbade, and he went with the “abomination,” Mark, with whom Aaron forbade Levi from further friendship.

Levi, devastated by his sister’s death and disillusioned with his father, decides to leave the order. He is afraid of living among the Englishers, but Levi remembers his teachings, that sometimes God’s path is revealed to us even when we don’t understand it. Levi’s path in life will be away from his beloved farm and parents.

All the characters in SHUNNED are, in some way, shunned themselves, emphasizing the overriding theme of the universal feeling of isolation. The play presents a realistic portrait of Amish life and philosophy, and problems facing the community in today’s world.

THEATER REVIEW: SHUNNED IS POWERFUL AMISH DRAMA

“Shunned” is powerful Amish drama
Tony Kiss, tkiss@citizen-times.com 8:52 a.m. EDT June 6, 2014

Even in a world of smartphones and instant communication, the life of the Amish remains something of a mystery. The fine new drama “Shunned,” getting its world premiere at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre in Mars Hill, peels away some of those layers to reveal that all is not what it seems with these quiet and reserved people.
Written by Larry Parr and ably directed by Jessica Phelps West, “Shunned” benefits from a superb cast that includes SART regular and standout Chris Allison as the tough family patriarch Aaron Yoder, who is determined to keep the old-world Amish traditions, no matter what the cost.
The story mostly involves his teen son Levi (Allen T. Law), who must choose between family and faith or exploring the great outside world he knows nothing about. Levi’s growing interest in theater, and his friendship with gay innkeeper Mark (Iain Alexander), presents a growing split with Aaron.
Rounding out the family are mother Katherine (Traci Gardner), once a famous painter, who gave up art to marry but was never really accepted as an equal. The innocent antics of playful daughter Mary (Shelby Folks), eventually lead to a family crisis.
Another solid SART veteran, Kay Galvin, is the aging Sarah Miller, an Amish gossip who has wormed her way into this family, and Daniel Henry is a one-time community member now banished and anxious to seek revenge.
Throughout Parr’s story is the threat of being shunned — thrown out of the Amish world temporarily or for good. It’s a powerful punishment for these simple people whose lives are built around their religion and close relationships. The play starts quietly but builds in intensity. There’s a big plot twist that turns this bunch upside down.
Allison’s strong performance as Aaron dominates the show, but the others are equally believable, with Law getting most of the lines and dramatic moments. Alexander’s smaller performance as the gay Mark is another solid turn.
“Shunned” is a fine beginning to the 40th professional SART season which will see two more world premieres at historic Owen Theatre at Mars Hill University.

A MOVING PORTRAIT OF THE AMISH AT SART

SHUNNED, winner of Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater, is currently playing in Mars Hill. It’s easy to see why this script won. It’s the riveting story of a splintering Amish family and the son, Levi Yoder, who faces temptations from the outside world.

The cast features excellent performances from some SART veterans and newcomers. Leading the cast is Allen Law, as Levi Yoder, the young man who is unsure of the world and his place in it. The strong supporting cast includes Chris Allison, the Yoder family patriarch, who will do anything to preserve the Amish way of life, Shelby Folks as Mary Yoder, Levi’s sister, Traci Gardner as Katherine Yoder, the mother who was once of the world but wants to be accepted as Amish, Iain Alexander in a wonderful performance as a gay neighbor, Gary Smith, as a shunned Amish man, and Kay Galvin, who is hysterical as the neighbor.

Playwright Larry Parr gave each of the characters in his play complex personalities that reflect the show’s themes. Levi Yoder is simultaneously intelligent, curious, and naïve. His father, driven by love, is unbending in his conviction the Amish way is the only way. He is highly spiritual yet bawdy and earthy. His mother has left her success in the world for her family, and she is more apt to see both sides of issues. Mary Yoder, Levi’s sister, is young, innocent and full of life and fun, which leads to a major family crisis. Another young man hates the Amish who shunned him, yet wants to return to the only life he knows how to live. And a customer at the Yoder’s produce stand who Levi befriends turns out to be gay much to Levi’s shock. “I never knew there were any gay people in all of Indiana.”

The show’s themes of alienation and the universal feeling of loneliness enhance the wonderful storyline that is in turns hilarious, touching, and tragic. The play captures the audience’s attention, never letting our interest wane.

The questions it raises are complex and deep, and the playwright wisely allows theatergoers to answer these questions for themselves. This is very fitting, in a play whose major theme is the idea of there being many different paths through life, many ways to find God, and who is to say only one way to live life is the only way?

The night I saw shunned, it received an instant and lengthy standing ovation. Don’t miss it. It may well be one of the most thought provoking shows you’ll see in a long time.

Parr’s script is bold for its capacity to pose such complex questions in a short span of time. Yet while disputes about religious dogmas and their social effects can often become tense and personal, Shunned makes its query in a way that dignifies both sides of its conflict and thus forces audience members to consider it for themselves. This, of course, is one of the text’s greatest strengths: as ARTS/West’s own Janice Evans put it, “it asked big questions and didn’t pretend to answer them.” Rather, the play puts audience members in the shoes of its Amish characters, prodding them in the process to examine their own and others prejudices from a new (some may contend “old”) standpoint. Athens Community Critical I.

We all were moved to tears and strong emotions by not only the wonderful performances of the actors, but by the story. The theme of being the "other" in a world so sure of itself and then discovering breaks as the web develops faults. Parr expressed so well the sacrifices we often make to remain in a covenant that is known and safe. And the choices we make to leave that safety for so many reasons: love, family, freedom, faith, loss of faith or a new truth we never knew existed. We all appreciated the language Parr wrote to express joy, pain, and wonder. Andrea Globokar, Utah.

I just saw a staged reading of Shunned and want to tell you how deeply it affected me. Thank you for a great play. The cast, especially our Levi Yoder, Rhett Guter, was superb. These issues of guilt associated with pursuing the dreams of our hearts - and theater represents every dream of every heart - at the expense of our other vows - is universal and certainly resonates with me. Jane Hallstrom, Cedar City, Utah.