Grace and the Butterfly Effect:
The Musical
Book, music, lyrics by Jane Kelley, Greg Alexander, Clifford Lee Johnson III
GRACE AND THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT is a family musical. Kids of all ages will identify with our ten-year-old hero Grace as she struggles to fit in and live up to her name. She takes on the challenge of raising monarch butterflies. But that means protecting their habitats. If climate change overwhelms adults, can a kid like Grace make a difference? Our musical says yes. Grace learns that even small actions can lead to big changes. That is the Butterfly Effect.
The making of a musical . . .
Sometime in the summer of 2023, I got the idea that my novel GRACE might make a fun musical. I used to do a lot of theater, but it had been a while since I had collaborated. I reached out to two talented people (who also happened to be my friends). We got together in the fall of 2023 to start metamorphosing the printed page into live theater. Coincidently at the same time, I found four monarch caterpillars devouring a milkweed plant. When they finally emerged from their chrysalises, we took this as a sign that our musical would eventually fly. And it has! Thanks to the support and encouragement from Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals, the theater department at Northwestern University, and B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California.
Synopsis
As Grace practices for her dance recital, she knocks down the fence between her dad’s pristine backyard and her neighbor Mr. Hertz’s wildflower garden. Mr. Hertz is apoplectic because she has crushed his milkweed plants — the only place endangered monarch butterflies lay their eggs. After Grace finds three monarch butterfly eggs on a broken plant, she decides to raise them. But she can’t find any milkweed to feed the caterpillars. Persuading her friends and family to make sacrifices to protect the butterflies’ habitat is even harder. With Mr. Hertz’s encouragement, Grace uses the dance recital to speak for the butterflies. Everyone learns that they too can change — just like monarchs do.
Writing Team
GREG ALEXANDER serves as B Street Theatre’s Director of Education and member of the Core Acting Company. Recent Mainstage credits include: DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS, THE WHITE CHIP, PICKLEBALL, SNOW FEVER: A KARAOKE CHRISTMAS, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, and THE LOST CLAUS. Recent Family Series credits include: THE FLYING MACHINE: THE STORY OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and TREASURE ISLAND. Along with writing partners Clifford Lee Johnson III and Jane Kelley, Greg helped write the TYA musical GRACE & THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, which was selected for development by the Johnny Mercer Foundation’s New American Musical Writers Grove at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam CT. GRACE will have its premiere as part of B Street’s Student Matinee series in 2026! As Director of Education he oversees workshops in schools, hospitals, community centers, and correctional facilities, as well as class offerings with B Street’s Conservatory and Studio for Young Actors. Greg lives in Sacramento with his wife Sean and their Westies, Quincy Magoo & Finnegan Hooligan.
CLIFFORD LEE JOHNSON III [CLJ3] is a writer and producer who specializes in creating new plays and musicals. Between 2009 and 1993, he was the Director of Musical Development at Manhattan Theatre Club; prior to that he was the Assistant Literary Manager at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Among other things, he has been a critic for BACKSTAGE and published articles on the theater in various publications. He served as a dramaturg at the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals and consulted during the creation of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. His vocal group Rudy’s Jukebox has performed all across the country and will become the vehicle for a theater piece about “maturity” in the next few years. As part of Wonder City Productions, he is creating a Broadway musical centered on the life of an American icon. CLJ3 is especially proud of participating in a citizen-scientist effort to discover new planets. So far, he has one to his credit. Spouse: Jane Kelley. Daughter: Sofia. Dwelling: Fairy Chasm, WI.
JANE KELLEY is the author of many award-winning kids’ novels and non-fiction books, including GRACE AND THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT. Her creative life began in the theater. After graduating from Northwestern University, she apprenticed at Actors Theater of Louisville where she met her collaborators Greg and Lee. She moved to New York City, started writing, got married, and raised a daughter who inspired her to write for kids. Many years and many books later, she and her husband moved to the edge of a magical woods in Fairy Chasm, Wisconsin. She’s so happy to be working in the theater again. A huge thank you to everyone at B Street Theatre for helping bring her novel to life. For more information about Jane’s other books, please visit https://janekelleybooks.com/
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MUSICAL VERSION OF GRACE, please contact:
Clifford Lee Johnson III at cliffordleejohnson3@gmail.com
Listen to this song from the musical
produced by J. Brielle.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Workshop at Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals February 2024
B Street Theatre’s NEW PLAY BRUNCH series January 2025
Northwestern University staged reading October 2025
World Premier B Street Theatre Family Series September 2026
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
75 minutes / Two Acts
CHARACTERS:
GRACE – a 10-year-old girl
ROBIN – Grace’s friend
SUNNY – Grace’s friend
OLIVER HOLLOWAY – Grace’s Dad
PATTI HOLLOWAY – Grace’s Mom
MR. HERTZ - Grace's neighbor
MADAME DRAGINSKA – a ballet teacher [doubles with MOM]
BUG – narrator and leader of the Bugweed Band
GARDEN CRITTERS – creatures in Mr. Hertz’s garden [off-stage]
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES – puppets on poles moved by performers.
Adults could play all parts, but using age-appropriate actors is certainly possible.
Music is provided by Bug on guitar playing with the pre-recorded backing track. The cast and garden critters sing harmony off-stage on selected songs.
REVIEWS
“I love this show! With beautiful music and wonderful characters, Grace and the Butterfly Effect reminds us that when it comes to saving the most vulnerable and beautiful things in nature, the little things we do make a big difference. One of the best TYA pieces I’ve come across in a long time!!” - Henry D. Godinez, Carlos Montezuma Professor & Chair | Department of Theatre Northwestern University | Sabl Resident Director, Goodman Theatre
“A beautifully earnest, incredibly funny, and thrillingly inventive piece of theater. Biology, ecology, family dynamics, exuberant dance and even a comic lesson in snack food is integrated into the play in ways that are always entertaining and theatrical. Most of all I love that this story sparks and nurtures curiosity and wonder about science and the garden. As soon as I put it down, I immediately was reminded of a garden I had made as a middle schooler - and a desire filled me to be back in a garden again. When I direct TYA work, I start from the belief that Young People deserve EXCELLENT Theater. And this feels excellent in every way.” - M. Graham Smith, Theater Director
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