Lynn Riggs

Lynn Riggs was an author, screenwriter, and playwright. He was born near Claremore, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and traveled across the country writing and working various theatre jobs before traveling to Europe in 1928. It was in Europe that he wrote Green Grow the Lilacs, a one-act play that became the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!

Riggs wrote a total of 21 plays and several screenplays. His plays were inspired by his upbringing in Indian Territory and were noted for their meticulous recreation of the Oklahoma dialect and idioms. His play The Cream in the Well portrayed indigenous themes more directly than any of his other works. Riggs died in 1954, the year before the film adaptation of Oklahoma! premiered in Times Square.