Overview
Synopsis
In the winter of 1925 in Cave City, Kentucky, every man dreams of finding the biggest, most beautiful cave in the region and turning it into a spectacular tourist attraction. But, no one dreams quite so big as brave and daring Floyd Collins. Despite his poor luck as a caver, Floyd is certain he’s bound for greatness, and on January 30, he ventures into the as yet unexplored Sand Cave to “find his fortune underground.” His hopes are quickly challenged when a rock lodges his leg in a crevice on the way out of what he believes is the grandest cavern ever seen. When his brother Homer and the local cavers’ attempts to free him fail, Floyd’s rescue becomes a national effort and sparks one of the biggest news sensations in the years between the world wars. Over the course of several weeks, the Collins family’s faith is heavily tested, while floods of reporters, movie crews and sightseers come to behold the dramatic scene. Tragically, a botched attempt to create a shaft to Floyd’s location causes a cave in, completely cutting him off from the outside world. When they finally reach him after seventeen days, he has already died of exposure and starvation. Influenced by Bluegrass and Americana, Adam Guettel’s stunning score beautifully illuminates this story of spirituality, hope and one man’s quest for glory.
Show Information
- Book
- Tina Landau
- Music
- Adam Guettel
- Lyrics
- Tina Landau , Adam Guettel
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1994
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- january 30- february 16, 1925, bee doyle’s farm in barren county, ky, including sand cave where floyd gets trapped
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Optional
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- college, professional companies, religious groups, mostly male ensembles, shakespeare companies, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Floyd Collins is based on the true story of an American cave explorer of the same name who descended into the tunnels of the unexplored Sand Cave in Cave City, Kentucky on January 30, 1925, never to reemerge. Though he claimed that he found one of the most magnificent caverns ever seen, no one was ever able to find it. The story is most notable in American history for becoming one of the hottest news items of the years between the two world wars.
The American Musical Theater
to read the context for Floyd Collins and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
Act One opens with Jewell Estes, Nellie, Homer, Miss Jane, and Skeets Miller presenting a prologue to the story, in which they explain, in the fashion of a Greek Chorus, that Floyd Collins is an ambitious and determined caver who is going to descend “deep in the land of the hallows and creeks” to find the perfect cave to turn into a tourist attraction. They allude to the danger of caving, and suggest that Floyd might meet his end there (“The Ballad of Floyd Collins”).
Part 1: The
to read the plot for Floyd Collins and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
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Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
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Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
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Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
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Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
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Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
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Featured |
Male |
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Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
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Featured |
Male |
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Ensemble |
Male |
Tenor |
Songs
- The Ballad Of Floyd Collins-Jewell, Nellie, Homer, Miss Jane and Miller
- The Call-Floyd
- It Moves-Floyd
- Time To Go-Floyd
- Where A Man Belongs-Lee, Doyle, Miss Jane, Bishop, Jewell and the Locals
- Lucky-Nellie and Miss Jane
- Daybreak-Homer and Floyd
- The Ballad Of Floyd Collins (Reprise)-Jewell
- I Landed On Him-Miller
- An' She'd Have Blue Eyes-Floyd
- Heart An' Hand-Miss Jane and Lee
- The Riddle Song-Homer and Floyd
- Is That Remarkable?-The Company
- *The Carnival-The Company
- Through The Mountain-Nellie
- Git Comfortable-Homer
- The Ballad Of Floyd Collins (Reprise)-Jewell
- The Dream-The Company
- How Glory Goes-Floyd
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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