Floyd Collins

Act One

Act One opens with Jewell Estes, Nellie, Homer, Miss Jane, and Skeets Miller presenting a prologue to the story, in which they explain, in the fashion of a Greek Chorus, that Floyd Collins is an ambitious and determined caver who is going to descend “deep in the land of the hallows and creeks” to find the perfect cave to turn into a tourist attraction. They allude to the danger of caving, and suggest that Floyd might meet his end there (“The Ballad of Floyd Collins”).

Part 1: The Cave, finds Floyd just venturing underground to begin his search. He uses his voice to sound out the depths of the cave, and realizes that he’s quite close to what he believes is a huge, undiscovered cavern. While he continues to venture deeper, he fantasizes about how he will market his discovery to tourists, as well as the beautiful lifestyle and personal pride the will ensue once he has set up his spectacular cave attraction (“The Call”). He tries to shimmy his way through a crevice to his