Book by Melody Cooper
Music and Lyrics by Tyrone L. Robinson
Cast size: 5W, 2M, some doubling
Runtime: 60 minutes
Based on the John Newbery Medal Honor Book (2006) by Jacqueline Woodson with illustrations by Hudson Talbott
Music Samples available here.
11-year-old Toshi Georgiana has an important school project in which she is to present a family heirloom and explain its history and importance. Problem is, Toshi loses the beloved family heirloom just days before the project is due. As she searches for it, she is led by generations of women who came before her, from slaves who secretly sewed quilts to SHOW the WAY to freedom to civil rights marchers. Along the way, when Toshi loses hope of ever finding the heirloom, her friends offer to let her borrow their family heirlooms for the project. The play has a multi-cultural cast of seven actors and teaches the lesson that we all have the strength of our ancestors and friends to draw upon to get us through difficult times.