Meet the Composer

Brian R. Lynner

In 2009 Lynner and his partner Lisa Norris accepted a request from the State Historical Society of Iowa to create an original play based on an event in Iowa history – the 1965 black armband protest that resulted in the landmark civil rights case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. Lynner was a Des Moines high school student at the time of the protest, and had a personal interest in the project. Over the past six months, Lynner and Norris have been developing the show into a full-length musical. The new musical will receive its premiere run October 23, 24, 28-31, and November 6 & 7, 2010 at the Iowa Public Theatre at the State Historical Museum.