A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

the ripple, the wave that carried me home

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 1m

This poignant, quietly subversive play from Tony-nominated playwright Christina Anderson is a moving exploration of a family’s response to injustice and a daughter’s reckoning with her political inheritance.

the ripple, the wave that carried me home

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2023 Steinberg/ATCA Award

Details

Summary
Tony-nominated playwright Christina Anderson penned this poignant, transporting and quietly subversive story of racial justice, political legacy and family forgiveness. Janice’s childhood was steeped in her parents’ activism as they fought for the integration of public swimming pools in 1960s Kansas and taught scores of Black children to swim. But Janice later steps away from her parents’ politics and starts her own life and family far away – until she’s pressed into speaking at a ceremony honoring her father. the ripple, the wave that carried me home is a moving exploration of a family’s response to injustice and a daughter’s reckoning with her political inheritance.
History
the ripple, the wave that carried me home was commissioned by Berkeley Rep in Berkeley, California, where it made its world premiere on October 1, 2021. The play was later produced at Portland Center Stage in Portland, Oregon in October 2022, the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois in January 2023, and Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut in April 2023.
Cast Attributes

JANICE – The daughter
HELEN – The mother
GAYLE – The aunt
EDWIN – The father

YOUNG CHIPPER AMBITIOUS BLACK WOMAN – Performed by the actress who plays Gayle
REPORTER, JUROR CITIZEN – Interviews from the TV; can be performed by Edwin or others
JANICE’S ANSWERING MACHINE – Actor who plays Edwin or someone else
HELEN & GAYLE’S ANSWERING MACHINE – Actress who plays Gayle

Note: All actors should be around the same age as the actor playing Janice.

All actors should be around the same age as the actor playing Janice.

  • Time Period 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, 1960s, 1950s, 1940s/WWII, 1930s
  • Setting Beacon, Kansas & an Ohio suburb. 1930s-1992 (the first few days of the LA Riots).
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Humorous, heartfelt… honest… a radiant celebration of love and forgiveness.” – Chicago Theatre Review

“Powerful… brings every period to life with vivid immediacy… Anderson’s enthralling language is peppered with brilliantly evocative turns of phrase.” – Bay Area News Group

“A touchingly humorous and passionate play that explores racial justice, family dynamics, and the importance of forgiveness. [Anderson] has captured the essence of decades of a family’s search for racial justice.” – Berkeleyside

“Anderson is a gifted playwright you want to pay attention to. She has the voice of a poet.” – Variety

“Passages that ripple towards poetry... Like water itself, there are depths in this story that defy cut-and-dried boundaries.” – Chicago Sun-Times

“Anderson’s brilliant writing shows evidence of a careful hand… expertly telling a story of political and familial turmoil… every vignette of a memory passed is immaculate. The work is deeply empathetic, nuanced and above all, honest.” – The Daily Californian

“Sensational from beginning to end… this year’s ‘must-see play.’” – Let’s Play“In her moving new drama… playwright Christina Anderson gives us what we want — or, more accurately, what we need. A generous and empathetic writer, Anderson allows for triumph amid the tragedy and for growth and understanding amid hostilities and resentments… she even leaves us swimming in the possibility of joy.” – Chad Jones’ Theater Dogs

“Compelling… a reckoning of what it means to come home.” – BroadwayWorld

Videos

  • the ripple, the wave that carried me home – Yale Rep Trailer youtube thumbnail

    the ripple, the wave that carried me home – Yale Rep Trailer

  • the ripple, the wave that carried me home – Kansas City Rep Trailer youtube thumbnail

    the ripple, the wave that carried me home – Kansas City Rep Trailer

  • Christina Anderson on the ripple, the wave that carried me home youtube thumbnail

    Christina Anderson on the ripple, the wave that carried me home

  • the ripple, the wave that carried me home – Goodman Theatre First Look youtube thumbnail

    the ripple, the wave that carried me home – Goodman Theatre First Look

  • the ripple, the wave that carried me home – CBS 2 Chicago Segment youtube thumbnail

    the ripple, the wave that carried me home – CBS 2 Chicago Segment

  • Tamilla Woodard and Christina Anderson on the ripple, the wave that carried me home youtube thumbnail

    Tamilla Woodard and Christina Anderson on the ripple, the wave that carried me home

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Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

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Authors

Christina Anderson

Christina Anderson is a 2022 Tony Award Nominee for Outstanding Book of the Broadway musical Paradise Square. She is a playwright, TV writer, screenwriter, educator and creative. Her work has been produced by theaters such as the Goodman Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Oregon Shakespe ...
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