Three lost children stumble across an abandoned orphanage in the bush. they become trapped in a timeless world, haunted by spirits from the past. They are tormented, too, by the black skirt, a cruel governess who floats up and down the orphanage corridors wielding enormous scissors. But as the stories of these forgotten children are told - from pickpocketing incidents in the eighteenth century to the tragedies of the Stolen Generations in the twentieth - their spirits are released, one by one.
Children of the Black Skirt is a gothic fairytale with bite. Roald Dahl meets Charles Dickens under the harsh Australian sun, as Angela Betzien explores Australia's history and the healing power of storytelling.
'This work explores incredibly important aspects of the Australian history and is rapidly becoming cult viewing for young audiences across Australia through its schools' touring and main stage exposure' Sally Chance, Come Out Festival Director.
Source: Currency Press Publication
Teaching notes available on AustLit
2003
Developed by Real TV and produced by Queensland Arts Council. First toured through regional and metropolitan Queensland high schools in 2003.
2005:
Production at Queensland Theatre Company, Brisbane, Queensland.
Production Date: Yet to be traced.
2009
Return season 13-14 August 2009 at the Sacred Heart Chapel in the Abbotsford Convent.
2007:
Production at Menzies Theatre, Bundoora, Victoria
24th-28th of September
2015
Production at Mt Barker Town Hall, Mount Barker, Adelaide.
13th of March
Production at Goolwa Centenary Hall,Goolwa, Adelaide.
14th of March
