The Suitcase

A dear friend once said that each of us carries a suitcase full of scraps. We collect these scraps as we travel through life. We treasure some and hide others. And, most importantly, some scraps we leave scattered behind—shared with those we love. In the summer of 2020, I wrote “Draft One” on the first page of a new notebook. What follows is a plethora of scribbles—scraps, if you will: character traits, internal monologues, historical dates, and questions which finally culminate in a sketch of an old suitcase. That old suitcase marks the start of a journey and of a story most adequately named. The Suitcase underwent a series of readings and a two-week workshop in 2021-22. It was presented as a two-act musical in a 2024 staged reading with live orchestra. In 2028, after much review and careful revision, The Suitcase is scheduled to premiere in full. It is a story of scraps collected, treasured, hidden, and left behind. I hope some can be left with you. —Luscinda

Desperate to finally prove her worth in the face of ridicule and the horrors of the Second World War, a young English playwright sets out to pen a play inspired by one unusual suitcase carried by a displaced wanderer—a task that transforms her story and the stories of those to whom the suitcase is eternally tied.

Short Synopsis: April Ellis nurtures a single goal: to finally prove her worth by writing and producing a legendary play. Yet nothing stands in April’s favor—the Second World War pummels the bomb-scared South of England, the Ellis family estate faces ruin, and April’s narcissistic father never gives her a chance. Not to mention, April has lost all inspiration since her apparent “magnum opus” flopped in critical disgrace years earlier. It is when she accidently brings home an enthralling old suitcase from Ms. Clara’s Wartime Shop that April chooses to take one last try. Aspiring to imagine “what stories a suitcase can tell” leads her to befriend Regina Borman, a captivating—yet haunted—world traveler, and Troy Gillenwater, a brilliant actor seeking to rediscover his identity in the wake of battle. As these fragile relationships grow while April grapples for her voice, she finds that stories—and suitcases—are not just tools for artistic success: they carry hidden truths, disturbing memories, and the daring chance to hope.

Quick Facts:
• The Suitcase contains approximately 18 original songs (not counting reprises and underscoring).
• The music is scored for a chamber orchestra of woodwinds, brass, strings, piano, celesta, & percussion.
• There are 20 characters to be played by a cast of 12 actors: six women, four men & two children (one boy & one girl).
• Accents/dialects spoken in the musical include RP British, Cockney, Southern American, and German with additional content in the German language.
• Dancing requirements are light. Only willingness to learn partner dances—swing dancing & waltzing—is needed!
• Circa: 1944 and 1945 in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England with sequences in Germany during the late 1920s and the year 1918.
• The musical is two acts with one intermission.
• Goal Run Time: approximately two hours, 15 minutes.
• Potential Rating: PG-13 for war imagery, violence, and emotionally heavy content including trauma recollection.
• Projected Budget: $50,000 to $100,000.
• Current Development History: initial readings and full workshop—2021-22; staged reading with live orchestra—2024; reviews—2025-2026; goal production year—2028.

THE SUITCASE
Book by Luscinda L. Dickey
Music, Lyrics, & Orchestrations by Luscinda L. Dickey
Additional Lyrics by Kira Byler