Buffalo Creek

by Stacey Isom Campbell

It’s 1972 and Bailey Seeger’s 18th birthday, the age at which he is expected to start working in the coal mine with his father. Bailey overcomes his fears to begin work in the mine but quickly finds that safety regulations aren’t being followed. When the coal waste dam busts, 100 million gallons of water and coal sludge are dumped on Buffalo Creek, leaving thousands homeless and over a hundred dead. Three...

It’s 1972 and Bailey Seeger’s 18th birthday, the age at which he is expected to start working in the coal mine with his father. Bailey overcomes his fears to begin work in the mine but quickly finds that safety regulations aren’t being followed. When the coal waste dam busts, 100 million gallons of water and coal sludge are dumped on Buffalo Creek, leaving thousands homeless and over a hundred dead. Three generations of his family must come to terms with the coal company created disaster. Buffalo Creek is about the relationships between faith and family, the union and coal company, the past and present, and the region’s long-term oppression and today’s political landscape. It asks—who do you trust when everyone has betrayed you?

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Buffalo Creek

Recommended by

  • Jacob Juntunen: Buffalo Creek by Stacey Isom Campbell
    “

    This play is about an ecological disaster, but what really stays with me are the characters, particularly the family relationships. The play captures the region, captures this moment, and feels relentlessly personal even as it asks big questions.

    This play is about an ecological disaster, but what really stays with me are the characters, particularly the family relationships. The play captures the region, captures this moment, and feels relentlessly personal even as it asks big questions.

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: Buffalo Creek by Stacey Isom Campbell
    “

    Playwrights Foundation enthusiastically recommends this play BUFFALO CREEK, as a Semi-Finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2020. We were moved by the quality of the writing and the relevant and compelling themes that spoke to the mission of our festival. It excelled in a competitive process of 735 plays submitted this year and rose to the top after a six month long process discussing its merits with both national and local Bay Area readers, and we hope it moves swiftly towards production.

    Playwrights Foundation enthusiastically recommends this play BUFFALO CREEK, as a Semi-Finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2020. We were moved by the quality of the writing and the relevant and compelling themes that spoke to the mission of our festival. It excelled in a competitive process of 735 plays submitted this year and rose to the top after a six month long process discussing its merits with both national and local Bay Area readers, and we hope it moves swiftly towards production.

    ”

Character Information

3M, 3F
  • Bailey Seeger
    18
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Malvina Seeger
    70s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Marvelous Seeger
    40s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Judy Seeger
    40s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Pam
    18
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • AJ Seeger
    20s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Workshop, Third Course: Theatre, 2018

Awards