A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Bulrusher
Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 3m
Finalist! 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
“[Davis] tickles the ears of her listeners... moving scenes
on the banks of the pebble-strewn river... feel utterly true.” –
The New York Times
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Cast Size
3w, 3m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Period -
Suggested Use
- Monologues
-
Target Audience
Adult
Accolades
- Finalist! 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
Details
Summary
In 1955, in the redwood country north of San Francisco, a multiracial girl grows up in a predominantly white town whose residents pepper their speech with the historical dialect of Boontling. Found floating in a basket on the river as an infant, Bulrusher is an orphan with a gift for clairvoyance that makes her feel like a stranger even amongst the strange: the taciturn schoolteacher who adopted her, the madam who runs her brothel with a fierce discipline, the logger with a zest for horses and women, and the guitar-slinging boy who is after Bulrusher's heart. Just when she thought her world might close in on her, she discovers an entirely new sense of self when a black girl from Alabama comes to town. Passionate, lyrical, and chock full of down-home humor, this play is an unforgettable experience by a new, thrilling voice.
History
Bulrusher received its world premiere in March 2006 at Urban Stages/Playwrights’ Preview Productions in New York. Directed by Leah C. Gardiner, the production featured Zabryna Guevara and Donna Duplantier.
Cast Attributes
Performing Groups
- Time Period 1950s
- Setting Boonville, California, a small town in Mendocino Valley, north of San Francisco. 1955.
- Features Period Costumes
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes
Media
“An engrossing rush... Eisa Davis' gleaming marriage of poetry and myth... has a big heart and a wide-open soul.” – Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
“Davis explores her themes in unexpected and evocative ways...The still waters of Bulrusher turn out to run pretty deep.” – The San Francisco Chronicle
“Mixing together issues of family, heritage, race and love, Eisa Davis' Bulrusher delivers a powerful impact with a poetic, deeply realized script and story. In the hands of director Marion McClinton... the work becomes transcendent.” – TalkingBroadway.org
"Bulrusher brims with profound lyrical passion...a poetic play with much nuance.” – NYTheatre.com
“Davis has powers as a writer to find beauty in almost everything, and her play pulses with compassion and life. Bulrusher has the kind of satisfying, uplifting ending you can only find in live theater — vibrant, poetic, immediate and thrilling.” – Bay Area News Group
ON BREAKING CHARACTER
Our Picks for The 2019/20 Season: K-12 Edition
Felicia Lucas
April 23, 2019
Music
- Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
- Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
- Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Authors
Eisa Davis
Eisa Davis is a writer, composer and actress working on stage and screen. A recipient of the 2020 Creative Capital Award, a Herb Alpert Awardee in Theater and an Obie winner for Sustained Excellence in Performance, Eisa was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her p ...