Homechild
Encyclopedia
Homechild is a play written by Canadian
Governor General's Award
-winning playwright Joan MacLeod.
The play's undertone is about the migration of the nearly 100,000 "home children
," orphans and children given up for adoption who were transplanted from the United Kingdom
to then-British colonies of Canada
, Australia
, and New Zealand
between the 1860s and 1930s. It centres on the character of Alistair MacEachern, a crotchety, funny, and fearless farmer who, for 70 years, has silently longed for the sister he had left behind in Scotland
.
Homechild premiered at CanStage in Toronto
in January 2006 to unenthuasistic reviews.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
-winning playwright Joan MacLeod.
The play's undertone is about the migration of the nearly 100,000 "home children
Home children
Home Children is a common term used to refer to the child migration scheme founded by Annie MacPherson in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were sent to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa from the United Kingdom....
," orphans and children given up for adoption who were transplanted from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to then-British colonies of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
between the 1860s and 1930s. It centres on the character of Alistair MacEachern, a crotchety, funny, and fearless farmer who, for 70 years, has silently longed for the sister he had left behind in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Homechild premiered at CanStage in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in January 2006 to unenthuasistic reviews.