The Diviners is a play by Jim Leonard, Jr. It takes place in the fictional town of Zion, Indiana during the 1930s/Great Depression era. The play was originally developed with assistance from the American College Theatre Festival and originally performed by the Hanover College Theatre Group in 1980.[1] The play later received its first professional production with the Circle Repertory Company in 1980.[1]
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The play begins and ends with elegies spoken by two of the townspeople describing what happened the day of Buddy's tragedy. The body of the play is the memory of the time leading to the climatic event. Buddy is searching,(divining), for water for local farmer, Basil. Luella, Basil's wife, refuses to believe that the boy can find water. But to her surprise, farm hands, Dewey and Melvin, dig and find the water at the spot Buddy predicted there was water. C.C.Showers arrives at the town and Jennie Mae, Buddy's older sister, and Buddy meet him. Ferris Laymen, Buddy's father, lets him stay in the barn and work for him after learning that he was a preacher.Showers claims he gave up on preaching, but the townspeople keep on believing that it is a sign from God. Especially Norma, who thinks he will cure Buddy's fear for water. Buddy's mom, Sarah, died while trying to save Buddy from drowning when he was very little. Buddy is itching throughout the play and it is revealed that he has ring worms and he needs to be washed. Buddy is afraid of water and thinks he cannot breathe in water. Showers convinces Buddy that he can breathe, and takes him down to the river to wash him, but the town's ladies come to see them, thinking Showers is baptizing Buddy. While Showers is yelling and trying to cajole the ladies, saying he is only trying to wash the boy, Buddy drowns. --- Set in the early days of the depression in a small southern Indiana town named Zion. Buddy Layman is a mentally-challenged boy whose sweet nature touches most people he meets.. One day a stranger named C.C. Showers passes through Zion looking for work and food. C.C. takes an immediate liking to Buddy and vice versa. C.C. is able to relate to Buddy in ways that most people aren't. The two become close friends and C.C. soon finds himself as Buddy's mentor and teacher. Jennie Mae is attracted to C.C., and though he likes her, Jennie Mae isn't the only single girl near Zion that finds C.C. a catch of a man. The town’s dry goods owner has her eye set on bringing old fashioned revival to the community. The local diner owner would love to see the church rebuilt – and all the Sunday customers it would bring to her establishment. CC’s relationship with the people of the town changes drastically when they learned that he was a former preacher who has given up preaching. That knowledge changes everything and leads to a horrible tragedy.
A “slice of life” play, “The Diviners”, takes the viewers intimately close to the main characters :
Since this play takes place in a religious town, many religious music is incorporated in the script and could be used as background music. Some songs listed in the play include: