The Flood

Stephen Wadsworth, librettist and director
Korine Fujiwara, composer
Steven Osgood, conductor
Peggy Kriha Dye and Janet Chen, co-producers

READ THE STORY SYNOPSIS

The Great Flood was a transformative event in the history of Columbus and Ohio. A 1913 superstorm caused the largest flood in 100 years, sending tsunami-like waters into unsuspecting communities in central and western Ohio, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless. In Columbus, the Scioto River flooded Franklinton – a diverse, working-class neighborhood – with waters up to 17 feet deep, killing 96 people, injuring hundreds, and destroying over 500 buildings.

The Flood will show the intense human impact of the disaster and its lingering effect through multiple generations of a family. Onstage will be four rooms in a row, linked by doors (left to right: 1913, 1938, 1970, 2014). Four stories unfold simultaneously, moving between rooms, occasionally joining together, often overlapping, and gradually revealing a web of relationships.

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