The Diviners: A Play in Two Acts and Elegies

by Jim Leonard

Drama / 6m, 5f / Unit set w. platforms Winner of the American College Theatre Festival, this marvelously theatrical play is the story of a disturbed young man and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher in southern Indiana in the early 1930s. When the boy was young he almost drowned. This trauma and the loss of his mother in the same accident has left him deathly afraid of water. The preacher, set on breaking away from a long line of Kentucky family preachers, is determined not to do what h

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Drama

97 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1983

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving. Review to follow.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in this play several years back. You know a play is good when you are crying while delivering the final monologue night after night and the sound of people fighting back tears grows louder as the lights grow dim.

[Laura Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

buddy has a gift for finding water ever since the tragic drowning accident that took his mother & left him with brain damage. this gift not only helps him find water but helps him to avoid it at all costs. sweet, sweet buddy will tug at your heartstrings.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and deeply moving 2-act play by my friend and Hanover College alumnus Jim Leonard, Jr. This story of a mentally damaged boy and his quest to find a meaning in loss and life was a success when Hanover staged it for the American College Theatre Festival in 1980 (it won the top prize at the Kennedy Center). Then it was a hit in Circle Rep's New York production and is in constant production in colleges, high schools, and community theaters around the world. When will the film be made?

[Malissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite plays.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

In theater class students read numerous plays, but this one stuck about to me because often I found myself disappointed in the endings of plays because some didn't feel complete, but while not a complete ending, the reader feels fulfilled. While Buddy is the character this show is known for, I found him rather irritating but that is solely due to my distaste for young children and their ignorance. However, that did not alienate me and I, along with my peers, wept for Buddy's fate. The character that stuck out to me was C.C Showers. The relationships between Showers and the folks in the town is incredibly warming to view. The ending to both acts are impactful.

Note: It is hard to fully understand the strangeness of Showers and Jenny Mae's 'relationship' when script reading. Once you see it performed (with accurate age portrayals) the potential partnership becomes much more uncomfortable.

"The other night dear, as he lay sleeping
He dreamed he held you in his arms
When he awoke, dear, he was mistaken
So he hung his head and he cried

You are his sunshine, his only sunshine
You make him happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much he loves you
Please don't take his sunshine away"
~ Act One Finale

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

CP2018. This is alarming in its beauty and quiet tragedy. What can I say, I’m a sucker for Leonard’s style. The Diviners is no different: its theatricality is beautiful and complex, not at all as straight-forward or simple as it seems. This much is true: it’s got layers I’m still peeling back.

I have no idea what I want to do with it, how I want to approach it, and for once I’m thrilled by the way the story will challenge me instead of dreading it. I always claim to be “process over product” and I think I mostly practice what I preach, but I know I get caught up in my own perfectionism sometimes. Maybe this production will mark a turn away from ego and back to storytelling.

I will say, though, I wish like hell that I enjoyed reading plays more—there is just something about their flatness on the page that is so off-putting to me. And really, I mean all plays, even the masterpieces and the ones I end up fan-girling over. Is here a way to appreciate the act of script-reading? It’s arguably one of the more important parts of my “side-gig” yet *inarguably* my least favorite. Seriously, somebody help me.

[Matias · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/7
Really good play. It kinda wandered a lot, one of those "a bunch of stuff happens and then it ends" type of plays, but I didn't mind it too much. The character writing was strong enough to sustain it for me. I love a lot of these characters and would love to play them someday. The central relationship between Buddy and CC was especially great, but I also enjoyed the side plots with Ferris and Dewey and bicycles, even if they didn't really go anywhere.
It was also really funny, for a story that got so heavy and tragic in places.

[Aimée Marie Le Roi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Diviners is a very well-written and moving show. It's very much so a 'slice of life' play, and showcases all the characters as they are. Much of the character arcs are more subtle throughout the show. It's very moving.

I read this, in part due to a recommendation from a friend, and in part because I'm involved with a production of it. I highly encourage anyone to see this show if they get the chance to do so.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Well-written. Great dialogue. Not for me.

[Chelsea Reining · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all time favorite for me - it will leave you broken and you'll thank Jim Leonard for doing so. Beautiful, tragic, amazing.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Heartbreaking.

[Al Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just saw this play tonight. I laughed. I cried.

It brought the depression back to life through life in a small community.

The acting was great ASU - Beebe, AR - put the writing was out of this world. SEE THE & READ THE BOOK!

[rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the love I have for this play comes from the costars that breathed new life into the characters. The play itself is so-so but there’s a lot to be found when you look further into it, and the talents of actors can often make a play soar.

[Annie Sheridan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was suitable.

[Grace Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did this show over the summer, and it changed me. Not only is this show extremely powerful, but comedic as well. This production will stay with me forever.