Based on the true story of the Arran Stowaways, Legacies follows the journey of six boys seeking adventure, buried treasure, sword fights… and an elusive cuttlefish.

The story opens in 1868, on board the Arran, a ship bound from Scotland to Canada. The kindness and warmth of the captain well-rumoured, the ship is host to six stowaways, ranging in ages from 11 to 16. These boys are immediately put to work with the crew and their tale of adventure begins. It is not without its hardships, as the first mate of the ship rules with a hardwood fist under the captain’s complacency. Conflict comes to a head as the ship enters the icy waters off the coast of Newfoundland and becomes stuck in the ice flows. Convinced that this is the best option for the rest of the crew, the Captain banishes the young stowaways from the ship and forces them off onto the ice. Abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the boys are faced with an impossible choice: risk the trek over twelve miles of treacherous ice to the isolated coast of Newfoundland or remain in futile hopes of rescue from another ship.

Legacies was born out of a family legacy, as playwright Rachel Pengilly is a direct descendant from one of the central stowaways. The play has been written in correspondence with other descendants around the world and looks at the contribution these stowaways have made to their own communities and to Australia.

Playwright/Director Rachel Pengilly

Composer Shannon Parnell

Movement Director Hannah Pengilly