Children of the Black Skirt

by Angela Betzien

Three lost children discover an abandoned orphanage in the bush and become trapped in a timeless world, haunted by spirits of the past and tormented by the ominous Black Skirt, a cruel governess harbouring a mysterious past. The children begin to listen to the stories of the restless spirits of other children who have passed through the orphanage, and by doing so release the spirits from the tragedies of their pasts.This new gothic fairytale for young people tells a history of Australia through the eyes of children from convict times, the Stolen Generations, World War Two and beyond. An evocative play exploring the themes of history, reconciliation and the power of storytelling; this is Roald Dahl meets Charles Dickens under the harsh Australian sun. Children of the Black Skirt has toured widely through Australian schools and is fast becoming a classroom favourite with teachers and students alike.Includes teachers’ notes written by Adrianne Jones and Michael Boyle.

Genres: Plays, Gothic, School

80 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[♀ ☾ ✧ the dragon queen ✧ ☾ ♀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

for my gothic theatre assessment 2k19

[Maddi Preston · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good but couldn't give it over a 2 because I am doing an external assessment on it.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't actually read this so I'm not even sure if this counts lol. I watched this and it was so good in the small details and shared so many touching stories. Hopefully I will continue to feel this way after my drama exam :)

[Lidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very spooky, haunting and educational. I haven't been disappointed by a single piece of indigenous literature yet this year

[Jesse K · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was very entertaining but I kinda wish they didn't explain the black skirts backstory

[Noir Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
Awesome little Gothic play that I had a look at for uni. It had everything I would look for with a Gothic and it was nice to see one set in Australia. For Gothic theatre fans, it’s a great read!

[Kununya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children of the Black Skirt, is an amazing piece of script and Is a good example of Gothic Australian styled theatre. I absolutely enjoyed reading, and bringing this script to life in my class production. It however has some dark themes, foreshadowed by humour and light heartedness, as it touches on serious and real life issues of children of the early days in Australia. Overall, i would recommend.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this play, I was hooked. The themes are fascinating, and when I was recreating one of the scenes for a drama performance, I had to re-read the play over and over again. I still think about the symbolism and the stories the characters told. An amazing piece that everyone needs to see

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea of spirit possessions to tell stories to me is an amazing idea and it is executed very well as well.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is a great book!

[Jaeden Carlyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty interesting play, telling stories of all sorts of people

[Benjamin Holliday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

[BŁĘDNICA ☥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

for my gothic theatre assessment 2k19

[Matthew Jardim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conveys the themes of Australian Children in Australian history very well, looking forward to doing it as a play

[🩰mariposa🦋 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful showcase of the many sufferings of children in Australia throughout history. The naivety and innocence of the children is heartbreaking.
There’s one scene where a boy and his brother is sent to Australia after his father was killed in World War II and his mother is financially unable to care for them anymore. The boys are being sent there to work, yet they think it’s some sort of holiday. Being dropped off at the ship that will sail to Australia, their mother leaves, claiming she is off to get ice cream for them and that she will be back. The elder boy full-heatedly trusts his mothers words. She did not come back. The conditions were harsh and upon arrival to Australia, they two children are forced to sleep outside due to their sleeping quarters not being built yet.
Another story that sticks out to me is the Black Skirt’s backstory. That one is crushing. I believe there is a quote along the lines of “children are to be seen, not heard.”

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took one look at the cover of this book and felt nervous about reading it. I mean, a woman in a black skirt with a ginormous pair of scissors chopping at children's necks? What was this book about?
However I did end up reading it and it was better than I thought it would be.

Three lost children stumble upon an abandoned orphanage and try on some clothes the previous occupants left behind: two white, ragged dresses and a black skirt. A spell falls upon them and they become the people who wore those dresses long ago: New One, Old One and the Black Skirt.

New One and Old One are two orphans, New One being a recent arrival at the orphanage and Old One being a child who's been at the orphanage for a while. The Black Skirt is the silent, cruel governess at the orphanage which is haunted by spirit voices and the sound of a crying baby at night.

New One and Old One have to release the tormented spirits of the dead orphans and discover the secrets behind the Black Skirt and the orphanage to break the spell.

I did enjoy this book, thought it was a chilling at parts.

[Ystyn Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really sad but important play with powerful imagery and a series of disturbing histories. I'm not sure I always like the dramatic choices suggested for the stage, but the Australian Gothic tone is in abundance which I love.

[Josephine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book for school, because we were learning Gothic Theater in Drama

[Andrew Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I started crying in the middle of the play so it was very emotional and ingaging.

[LIESA · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly just added this so i could catch up with the reading challenge lol

[Shanae]

Good

[Ashley Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this however the ending was confusing and I don't get it

[Haz Jones]

Is this even a book or the 'About Us' Section of a company website?