One Came Home

A missing girl.

A desperate sister.

Her loaded rifle.

During the great passenger pigeon migration of 1871, throngs of strangers descend upon Placid, Wisconsin, bringing prosperity in their wake. But as the skies clear, tragedy strikes and Georgie Burkhardt’s sister goes missing. When a body is found and the town goes into mourning, Georgie sets out on her own to uncover the truth behind Agatha’s disappearance. The journey that follows, both humorous and heartbreaking, will test the limits of her courage and the strength of her character. A powerful coming-of-age tale combines live music with historical events in a world premiere adaptation based on the 2013 Newberry Honor Book by Amy Timberlake.

A world premiere based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy
Adapted by Jessica Wright Buha
Directed by Elise Kauzlaric

Genre: Historical adventure / mystery

Length: Full-length, two acts, 120 minutes

Cast: 8 actors

Set: Flexible set

For licensing info, contact Jess here.

GEORGIE: We cannot delay. I need to find her note. I need to see her!

BILLY: All right! No one's stopping you—

(A sudden flood of memory. AGATHA and GEORGIE'S bedroom once more, the night before Agatha's disappearance.)

AGATHA: Oh, well! Little Georgie Burkhardt won't stop me! How generous of you.

PRESS

  • “★★★½ Tough, tender and remarkably honest about how complicated — and yet paradoxically simple — the truth can be… One day the skies are filled with birds as far as the eye can see, but before you know it they’ve been silenced forever. One Came Home presents that trajectory of loss with heart and grit.”

    Chicago Tribune

  • “★★★★ One Came Home is achingly on the mark. It tells a subtle, very accurate story about growing up that plays perfectly with the strangeness, romance, and action of its Western roots.”

    Time Out Chicago

  • “All the company’s strengths are on display in this world premiere”

    Dueling Critics

Productions
Premiered February 2015, Lifeline Theatre, Chicago, IL

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