The Homecoming

At rear L-R: Matthew Kane, Lyall Heywood. Middle row L-R: Cohen McDonald, Blaire Young, Aislyn Cannon, Weston Liebeck and Nicole Benishek. Front: Lachlan Hawes and Hattie Koenig-Hall.

Adapted from the book by Earl Hamner Jr. (which was later adapted into the television show The Waltons), the story follows the Spencer family, living at the foot of a Virginia mountain, in the time of the Great Depression.

With his father having to take the only available job a long way from home. Clay-Boy is stuck with unusual responsibility for his brothers and sisters,

"The Homecoming is worthy family-style entertainment. There are moments of humor, compassion, and a demonstration of timeless priorities. And as the Staples sisters, famous for serving their spiked punch, declare: “The nice thing about life is that you never know when it’s going to be a party.” - Martha's Vineyard Times

while he deals with the gap between what he believes is expected of him and the future of which he dreams.

On Christmas Eve, in the midst of a worsening blizzard, Clay-Boy and his family are increasingly worried because his father is long overdue in getting home. At last Clay-Boy sets out in search of his father, and along the way he comes to understand a little better the man he believes doesn't really understand him. The climactic ending reveals the understanding and strength of a loving family.

Left to right: Matthew Kane, Douglas McNichol, Bob Bailey, Steve Pollock and James Gow. Photos by Tim Fort.

Johnny Jordan (left) and Denis Olive

Left to right: Matthew Kane, Mary Ethel Phelan and Katie Flower-Smith

Earl Hamner Jr.

Born in Schuyler, Virginia, in 1923, Earl Hamner Jr. was an American television writer and producer best known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s as the creator of two long-running series, The Waltons and Falcon Crest. He also contributed several episodes to The Twilight Zone.

As a novelist, he is best known for Spencer's Mountain, which was inspired by his own childhood and formed the basis for both the film of the same name and The Waltons TV series. His short novel The Homecoming features the same setting and characters as Spencer's Mountain.

Hamner died in 2016.

Christopher Sergel was born in Iowa City in 1918. His adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio was seen on Broadway, and his adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was performed at Domino in 2020. He also adapted Cheaper By the Dozen, The Mouse That Roared, Up the Down Staircase, Fame and many more.

We would like to acknowledge that this production takes place on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. We honour and give thanks to the land, its inhabitants and their enduring cultures.

Admission $20 (plus Grand Theatre surcharge). Tickets available through Kingston Grand Box Office, 613-530-2050 and online, until 2 p.m. on day of performance, and at the door (cash, debit, Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay or Android Pay) on performance nights when available. Seniors and members $16 at the door on Thursdays only. Children and students $10.

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