A Black family grapples with decades of inequality, violence, and suppression in the South. Benny, an orderly at a nursing home, delicately balances his role as a caregiver to an ornery white resident who shares a contentious past with his white boss, while at the same time caring for his own family as the fight for equality grips the nation in the midst of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Twenty-seven years later, his daughter, Ruby, struggles to understand an incident of police brutality against her 15-year-old son. This unique musical, spanning three decades and three generations, asks us to contemplate the cycle of violence in this country and how we will find hope and create change against the backdrop of hate that plagues America.
A beautifully realized two-person chamber musical.
-Broadwayworld
Stunning!
-New York Stage Review
Characters:
Benny: a Black nursing home orderly in his 30’s
Ruby: a 30-year-old Black single mother
Setting: Act I: Just One 'Q' – 1961 – The Broadbend Nursing Home
Act II: Ruby – 1988 – The Broadbend Cemetery
Performance Royalties are based on theater particulars. Please fill out an application for a personalized quote.
Billing responsibilities, pertinent copyright information, and playwrights' biographies are available in the show rider that comes with your license agreement.
Antonyo Award nominations:
Best Original Score (Broadway and Off-Broadway combined category)
Best Book (Broadway and Off-Broadway combined category)
Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway (actor-actress combined category)
The Adelco Award nominations (encompassing both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions):
Best Musical
Best Director of a Musical
Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Best Lead Actress in a Musical
“A beautiful, urgent exploration of race and activism alongside the family and the deep ties that bind them.”–Oskar Eustis, The Public Theater
“A gripping meditation on identity and parenthood.” –Slant Magazine
“Shen's music, which manages to be both jazzy and contemplative, employs a kind of enhanced recitative approach, being tailored seamlessly to the text's progression of thought and providing brief, but powerful, bursts of melody for moments of emotional outpouring.” –Lighting and Sound America
“Broadbend, Arkansas is stunning.” –New York Stage Review
“What distinguishes Broadbend, Arkansas—and make no mistake, it’s distinguished, all right—is its trenchant handling of one of today’s most pressing and most visible headline grabbers: racism.” –New York Stage Review
“Broadbend, Arkansas is a little masterpiece that should have a long life on the concert stage.” –Theaterscene.net
“Broadbend, Arkansas was for me what I always hope from musical theater and only rarely is . . . thoroughly rewarding.” –CurtainUp
“Grab a seat and buckle in for the emotionally charged journey through the complicated past and challenging present.” –front mezz junkies
Materials: Digital Materials are provided via email as downloadable PDF files for you to print in-house. All materials are yours to keep! No deposits, no returns.
Required production materials for Broadbend, Arkansas:
Orchestrations:
Act 1 ("Just One 'Q'") book and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, with music by Ted Shen
Act 2 ("Ruby") book and lyrics by Harrison David Rivers, with music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen
Run Time: 1hr 25min
Cast Size: 1F, 1M
Themes: Civil Rights, Family, Police Brutality, Memory
A Black family grapples with decades of inequality, violence, and suppression in the South. Benny, an orderly at a nursing home, delicately balances his role as a caregiver to an ornery white resident who shares a contentious past with his white boss, while at the same time caring for his own family as the fight for equality grips the nation in the midst of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Twenty-seven years later, his daughter, Ruby, struggles to understand an incident of police brutality against her 15-year-old son. This unique musical, spanning three decades and three generations, asks us to contemplate the cycle of violence in this country and how we will find hope and create change against the backdrop of hate that plagues America.
A beautifully realized two-person chamber musical.
-Broadwayworld
Stunning!
-New York Stage Review
Characters:
Benny: a Black nursing home orderly in his 30’s
Ruby: a 30-year-old Black single mother
Setting: Act I: Just One 'Q' – 1961 – The Broadbend Nursing Home
Act II: Ruby – 1988 – The Broadbend Cemetery
Performance Royalties are based on theater particulars. Please fill out an application for a personalized quote.
Billing responsibilities, pertinent copyright information, and playwrights' biographies are available in the show rider that comes with your license agreement.
Antonyo Award nominations:
Best Original Score (Broadway and Off-Broadway combined category)
Best Book (Broadway and Off-Broadway combined category)
Best Actor in a Musical Off-Broadway (actor-actress combined category)
The Adelco Award nominations (encompassing both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions):
Best Musical
Best Director of a Musical
Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Best Lead Actress in a Musical
“A beautiful, urgent exploration of race and activism alongside the family and the deep ties that bind them.”–Oskar Eustis, The Public Theater
“A gripping meditation on identity and parenthood.” –Slant Magazine
“Shen's music, which manages to be both jazzy and contemplative, employs a kind of enhanced recitative approach, being tailored seamlessly to the text's progression of thought and providing brief, but powerful, bursts of melody for moments of emotional outpouring.” –Lighting and Sound America
“Broadbend, Arkansas is stunning.” –New York Stage Review
“What distinguishes Broadbend, Arkansas—and make no mistake, it’s distinguished, all right—is its trenchant handling of one of today’s most pressing and most visible headline grabbers: racism.” –New York Stage Review
“Broadbend, Arkansas is a little masterpiece that should have a long life on the concert stage.” –Theaterscene.net
“Broadbend, Arkansas was for me what I always hope from musical theater and only rarely is . . . thoroughly rewarding.” –CurtainUp
“Grab a seat and buckle in for the emotionally charged journey through the complicated past and challenging present.” –front mezz junkies
Materials: Digital Materials are provided via email as downloadable PDF files for you to print in-house. All materials are yours to keep! No deposits, no returns.
Required production materials for Broadbend, Arkansas:
Orchestrations: