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Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY

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Written by award-winning playwright Kirsten Greenidge and based on the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning book by Christopher Paul Curtis, with a exhilarating score by five-time Grammy-winning jazz legend Terence Blanchard, "Bud, Not Buddy" follows 10-year-old Bud as he sets off on a journey to find his father who he believes is leading a traveling jazz band.
Set in 1930s America, Bud's odyssey is filled with plenty of live jazz music and the joy of finding family. It's 1936 in Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud is sure about two things: he wants to find his father, and he isn't called Buddy. The only clue he has is a flyer advertising Herman E. Calloway and his band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression. With this and his trusty suitcase in tow, Bud sets off on an epic journey of
discovery, set to the sound of a live jazz band.
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present "Bud, Not Buddy." The play combines eight actors with a 13-piece jazz band, performing an original score composed by New Orleans-born trumpeter and iconic jazz figure Terence Blanchard, to tell this story of a boy who finds a home and a passion for music.
"Metro Theater Company is the first company in the country to do 'Bud, Not Buddy' after its commissioned debut at the Kennedy Center," said Metro Theater Artistic Director Julia Flood. "We have created a great collaboration with Gene Dobbs Bradford, Phil Dunlap and Jazz St. Louis to make this happen. Metro Theater
Company audiences have never seen anything like this before. With the cast of eight, there will be 21 performers on the Grandel stage bringing this tale of family and music to vibrant life."
Metro Theater Company's Julia Flood directs "Bud, not Buddy," and Jazz St. Louis Director of Education Phil Dunlap serves as music director. For more information: http://metroplays.org.

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Photo Flash: Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present BUD NOT BUDDY  Image
Metro Theater Company and Jazz St. Louis present “Bud, Not Buddy"

Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best New Musical - Top 3
1. The Lost Boys
40.9% of votes
2. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
25.1% of votes
3. Schmigadoon!
21.5% of votes

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