Eliza's House

Family poverty robs Eliza of her dream of becoming a violinist. She transfers her ambition on to her son but he does not wish to learn. After a long absence he returns for his violin unprepared for an encounter with a girl who has befriended his mother or the rush of memory this meeting produces. A delicate and moving drama.1 woman, 1 man, 1 girl

Eliza Metcalf's one dream was to be a violinist, but her family's poverty robbed her of the chance; when her son was old enough to learn she transferred her ambition to him. But the boy didn't want to be different from his peers, didn't want to be seen as a snob...Eliza's House opens with the son returning home after a long absence; Eliza herself is in hospital and he has come to collect his violin in order to sell it. But he has not reckoned on meeting the eleven year-old girl who has befriended his mother, nor on the flood of memories this encounter produces in him and which we see enacted by his younger self. The clash of parents and children; the pull of the past; the force of memory; the bittersweet nature of love: are all themes of this delicate and moving drama, winner of the Arts Council Children's Award for 2001. Running time: approximately one hour.