MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
The Hutchinson Family Community Theater will bring history to life this week with its production of The Orphan Train by Aurand Harris, a play that tells the stories of children relocated from crowded East Coast cities to homes in the Midwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Director Mere Butler, making their directorial debut with the theater, said the play highlights the real experiences of children placed on so-called orphan trains through the Children’s Aid Society. “This play focuses on eight of their stories,” Butler explained. “Some end happily and some don’t, but together they show how tough life was for these kids.”
Set in 1914, during a period of rapid urban population growth, the play portrays both the hope and hardship of a program that sought to find homes for thousands of homeless and orphaned children. “It’s a fictionalized version of very real events,” Butler said. “These children were full-fledged human beings who deserved care and attention. That’s as true now as it was then.”
Craig Williams, board member for the Family Community Theater, said the group selects productions that bring together multiple generations on stage. “We had done The Orphan Train years ago and felt it was an appropriate time to bring it back for our 37th season,” Williams said.
For Butler, researching the production has been eye-opening. “Before this, I hadn’t known much about the orphan trains,” she said. “It’s recent enough history that it still affects families today. Many people in the Midwest have relatives who rode those trains, and it’s important we remember both the good and the bad outcomes.”
Performances are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Flag Theater, 310 North Main, Hutchinson. Tickets are available at Absolutely Home, 15 E. 14th Ave., Busy Bee Laundry, 628 E. Fourth Ave., online at familycommunitytheatre.org, or at the door one hour before showtime.