Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

by Cheryl L. West
Based on the book by Gary D. Schmidt

Turner Buckminster III can’t win: he’s the new kid in town, he plays baseball differently, and he stumbles upon trouble at every step. Turner’s only friend is Lizzie Bright Griffin from Malaga Island, an impoverished community founded by former slaves. The town (and Turner’s father) disapproves of their friendship, but Turner and Lizzie remain friends regardless. When powerful forces threaten Lizzie and her kin, Turner faces the ultimate test of his character—and learns a hard-earned lesson about courage and loss.

$12.00

Quick Details

  • Type: Play with Music
  • Length: 90 minutes
  • Availability: Available for productions worldwide
  • Cast Size: 10-11 roles plus potential ensemble

Full Details

Roles:

  • Turner Buckminster: 13, white
  • Lizzie Bright Griffin: 13, black
  • Mrs. Cobb: 80's ish, white
  • Reverend Buckminster: 40'ish, white
  • Reverend Griffin (Grandfather), 70'ish, black
  • Willis Hurd: 13, white
  • Sheriff: 50'ish, white
  • Abbie Tripp: 7, black
  • Bobby Tripp: 8, black
  • Mary Tripp: 6, black

The following resources are included in each performance license:
  • Permission to photocopy the PDF script for your production so there is no additional cost for these assets.
  • Guide sheet music for hymns.

Please note: This title requires additional permission from underlying rights holders. Please allow additional time for performance license applications.

The following resources may be added to you license for an additional fee:
  • Logo/Media package
  • While this title is not a musical, there is an optional performance-quality sound design created by Victor Zupanc available which includes 21 audio files that can be used for underscoring and sound effects.

Cheryl L. West

Cheryl L. West's plays include: Something Happened in Our Town, Last Stop on Market Street, Akeelah & the Bee, Mwindo, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Addy: American Girl Story, and Pullman Porter Blues. Her plays have been seen in England, Off-Broadway, on Broadway (Play On!)and in numerous regional theaters around the country. She has written TV and film projects at Disney, Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO, CBS and is the Webby-nominated writer for the original web series Diary of a Single Mom. Ms. West is the recipient of several awards: American Alliance For Theatre & Education (AATE) Distinguished Play Award (2016), the 2016 Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award, the Helen Hayes/Charles McArthur award for outstanding new play, the Susan Smith Blackburn prize, an international playwriting award for distinguished new plays, the National Endowment Playwriting Award and the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Best Playwright Award.

Winner of the 2013 AATE Distinguished Play Award

Originally produced by Children’s Theatre Company in 2012

Preview the Show

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy at Children's Theatre Company

Reviews

“

[Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy] is a production that may stand in memory like a lighthouse on a stark cliff, flashing brilliance through a dark night.

- Pioneer Press
“

It’s great to see the Children’s Theatre take on relevant topics such as racism with younger audiences, and the result is a charming, heartfelt production that doesn’t shy away from the harder, more painful aspects of this time in history.

- Twin Cities Metro

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