Come Home – The Legend of Daddy Hall

By Unsettled Scores / On

The music was atmospheric and transported you from scene to scene: from the swamp, to the boat, to the plantation.

Aisha Lesley Bentham, Intermission Magazine

When John Hall is confronted by his ancestors, he is forced to revisit his entire life.

Worlds collide as he travels back through time rediscovering life as a husband, father, son, war scout and freedom fighter. As he relives his dangerous past, John must decide – continue life as the oldest man, abandon everything and serve those on the earthly plane or exist in the Unknown.

Based on true events, Come Home – The Legend of Daddy Hall is told through poetic text, music and song. A play about the afterlife, love, legacy and being legendary. Come Home asks where we come from, where we’re headed and what we may be asked to do when we get there.

Come Home – The Legend of Daddy Hall
Written by Audrey Dwyer
Music and Sound Design by Spy Dénommé-Welch, Catherine Magowan

2 hours
           guitar
           flute
           kalimba
           turkey call
           wooden frog

Performance history:

May 22 – June 9, 2024: Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, ON
           Written by Audrey Dwyer
           Directed by Mike Payette
           Sound Design & Music by Spy Dénommé-Welch, Catherine Magowan
           Featuring Troy Adams, Helen Belay, Daren A. Herbert, Nicole Joy-Fraser, Brandon Oakes, Emerjade Simms

          Monique Mojica – Dramaturge
           Jawon Kang – Set Designer
           Christine Ting-Huan 挺歡 Urquhart – Costume Designer
           Michelle Ramsay – Lighting Designer
           Louisa Zhu – Fight Director
           Natasha Powell – Movement Consultant
           Emilie Aubin – Stage Manager
           Hazel L. Moore – Apprentice Stage Manager Props
           Christina Hantos & Daniel Jakobi – Assistants


Daddy Hall in media:

A View from the Box: Tarragon Theatre’s “Come Home: The Legend of Daddy Hall”Adding to this sensual experience is the sound design and composition by Unsettled Scores. Both Spy Dénommé-Welch and Catherine Magowan are on stage throughout the performance, playing music and making sound effects.

Intermission Magazine: The Legend of Daddy Hall feels like coming homeThe music was atmospheric and transported you from scene to scene: from the swamp, to the boat, to the plantation.

Globe & Mail: Come Home – The Legend of Daddy Hall is a thrilling, true story of survivalThe sound design and live music of Spy Dénommé-Welch and Catherine Magowan, along with the work of veteran lighting designer Michelle Ramsay, add mystical otherworldliness.” 

Toronto Star: John ‘Daddy’ Hall was a 117-year-old Canadian you should know about but probably don’t. This play aims to change thatIt’s an expansive play that takes big swings, melding prose, poetry and instrumental music.

My Gay Toronto: Come Home – The Legend of Daddy Hall: getting through the swamp won’t necessarily get one homeSpanish moss hangs as a curtain, partially obscuring a crumbling dock jutting out amongst reeds and grasses, some scaffolding supporting a cello and keyboards, and an array of rocks and logs.