Our Blog / Script Spotlight: Rainbow Valley by Graham Donahue
Script Spotlight: Rainbow Valley by Graham Donahue
Little House on the Prairie. Anne of Green Gables. The Waltons. They don’t make many warm-hearted, period-piece family dramas like those any more, but Virginia playwright Graham Donahue thinks there’s still a place for them on modern stages. “Rainbow Valley,” now available on Scriptmore, makes a good case for that.
We asked Graham to tell us about himself and his script. He did!
Where do you live and how long have you been writing plays?
I live in Cumberland, Virginia, which is a rural town about an hour west of Richmond. I started writing plays around 2016, which is also when I started working on “Rainbow Valley.” The script went through several fits and starts and various iterations. It’s my first completed full-length piece.
What is your experience as an actor, director, or in other aspects of theater?
I have enjoyed participating in a handful of community theater productions as an actor. I’ve learned so much about playwriting from those experiences.
“Rainbow Valley” is set in 1906. It’s a warm-hearted family drama with very traditional values. What attracted you to tell this particular story?
First and foremost, I fell in love with the characters and wanted to bring them to life on stage. In addition, I think warm-hearted stories like this one are timeless and refreshing in a world that can be dark sometimes. My hope is that this play can provide a little joy and light in the midst of that darkness.
Have you ever seen this play performed? If so, how did it go?
I have! Two community theaters in my area that I have been a part of did a joint production of the play in March of 2024. It was very rewarding to see it come to life on stage, and the actors and audiences had a great time!
Would this play work well for high school drama groups?
I think it would. While there are characters of multiple ages from children to elderly adults in this play, I think high-schoolers would enjoy playing the different roles, and the original production had several high-schoolers in it.
Rainbow Valley
By Graham DonahueIt’s Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1906 as widowed Presbyterian minister John Meredith and his children––Jerry, Faith, Una, and Carl––settle into life in a new town. Mr. Meredith’s absent-mindedness, and his children’s mischief become the talk of all the local gossips. The children take in a runaway orphan girl named Mary Vance and help her find a home, all the while seeking to become children that their father and community can be proud of. Meanwhile, their father wrestles with his failures as a parent and befriends a woman named Rosemary West. As the story unfolds, tensions rise as the family strives to live up to the community’s expectations of them, and John and Rosemary’s relationship struggles to come to fruition under the watchful eye of Rosemary’s controlling sister, Ellen. In the end, everyone learns to overcome loss and find new life, love, and meaning in the relationships they hold dear.
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