The Clearwaters has lyrics by Sara Wordsworth (In Transit, The Elf on the Shelf), music by Russ Kaplan (In Transit, The Elf on the Shelf), and a book by Daniel John Kelley. Minnesota. March, 1999. Young mother Bethany Clearwater has just inherited a house in the dilapidated factory town of Oak Pines, where she moves with her troubled teenage daughter Belinda. Bethany plans to finally escape their nomadic past and make a fresh start. But when Belinda, just two months away from graduating high school, runs away on her first day of school, Bethany turns to desperate and ridiculous measures to ensure a bright future for her daughter...and maybe a second chance for herself. The Clearwaters is a hilarious and thoughtful exploration into the myth of the American Dream, stolen identity, and a mother and daughter finding their best selves in the unlikeliest of places.

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The Clearwaters was a finalist for development at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in 2019, and was developed at CAP21 and Oklahoma University.