Canadian Rajah is the incredible — and true — story of Esca Brooke Daykin. He was the first-born son of the legendary “White Rajah of Sarawak” but was exiled from that country (a British colony, now part of Malaysia) to the backwoods of Eastern Ontario. Esca’s very existence was erased from his birth country’s history books. He waged a lifelong battle to have his true identity and parentage recognized. Esca’s life spans continents, races, generations and centuries — and only now is it being told.
News & Reviews
“The beauty of Canadian Rajah is in the ambitious stakes that playwright Dave Carley sets for himself… to bring a little-known piece of Canadian history to life: a family drama, involving sex, racism, Borneo royalty, and political intrigue, with only two actors to step into the roles of this sprawling, decades-long story, Canadian Rajah is both education and entertainment without skimping on either. It is an example of how history is a living thing, where stories fall in and out of public consciousness depending on who, and how many people, share them.” — Mooney on Theatre
About the Author
Dave Carley is a Toronto-based playwright whose plays have had close to 500 productions across Canada, the United States and in many countries around the world. They include Midnight Madness, Writing with our Feet (nominated for the Governor General’s Award), After You, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel The Edible Woman, Taking Liberties, and Orchidelirium. Dave is the former editor at the Playwrights Union of Canada (now Playwrights Guild) and, for many years, was both script editor at CBC Radio Drama and play editor for Scirocco Drama. Dave’s most recent full-length works have been Twelve Hours; an adaptation of Al Purdy’s novel A Splinter in the Heart, and Canadian Rajah. He is currently completing two new full-length works for stage: The Shakespeare Club and Extinction. For more on Dave, go to www.davecarley.com
