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John mistos THE SHOE-HORN SONATA

by Henrietta Stathopoulos,
ed i t e d a n d r e v i s e d b y W e n d y M i c h a e l s
1. The plays origins 1 2. Background to the play 1 3. Synopsis of the play
1 4. Concerns or themes of the play 1 5. Dramatic form and theatrical structure
16. Characters 1 7. Writing about the play

1. The pl a y s o r i g i n s 2. Background to
I do not have the power to build a memorial so t h e p l a y
I wrote a play instead. John Misto In 1941 Singapore and Malaya were still under
The Australian Government has yet to build a British control as part of the British Empire.
memorial to the forty-one Australian army nurses Singapore had been considered an impregnable
who suffered during World War II. fortress, although the British had been warned
A few years before writing The Shoe-Horn since 1938 that the Japanese were planning
Sonata, John Misto read Betty Jeffreys book a major invasion. The British had ignored the
White Coolies. Betty had been a member of the warning. By December 1941 the Japanese had
Australian Army Nursing Service and she had invaded, and within seventy days, captured
survived captivity as a prisoner-of-war in Sumatra Singapore and Malaya. As the Japanese prepared
and Malaya, along with twenty-three of her to take Singapore, the British Government refused
colleagues. War is primarily a masculine domain to evacuate British nationals, arguing that it
and wartime stories tend to focus on men and would be bad for morale. Empty ships were
masculine exploits. Bettys stories of the nurses allowed to leave Singapore Harbour and thus
war experiences obsessed Misto. He carried out when the Japanese bombed the island, thousands
extensive research, including interviewing many of people died.
Australian women who had endured and survived On 13 February 1942 the British Government
prisoner-of-war camps in South-East Asia. The finally conceded to the evacuation of civilians.
play The Shoe-Horn Sonata pays tribute to these Thirty-three ships heavily overloaded with
women who suffered from decisions made by thousands of women and children immediately
the British, from the deeds of Japanese soldiers ran into fierce Japanese naval bombardment and
and from the inaction of successive Australian in a single night huge numbers of these refugee
governments to acknowledge their contribution women and children were slaughtered. Those who
or situation. managed to survive were taken prisoner.
This play poses questions about the way we According to Australian army regulations
construct and communicate our history. While nurses are not permitted at the front line;
it focuses on the stories of the two fictional however Australian nurses found themselves right
women, one British and one Australian, who in the path of the Japanese invasions nursing the
were evacuated from Singapore as the Empire young Australian boys who had enlisted to carry
disintegrated, it challenges us to look beyond the out their patriotic duty. Australian nurses kept
pain of the two women characters at the wider hospitals running in the middle of the battlefields.
social and political context that has allowed this The two on-stage characters in The Shoe-
situation to pass unacknowledged. Horn Sonata are a British civilian and Australian
Army nurse, both evacuated from Singapore.


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

The memories of past action that are recalled by Act One: Scene One
these two characters focus on their experiences
The play begins in darkness and silence. The voice
during the evacuation from Singapore and their
of Bridie comes out of this empty space. Bridie
incarceration as prisoners-of-war.
is explaining the kowtow although it is not
immediately clear who her audience is. This has
3. Synop s i s o f t h e p l a y the effect of engaging the theatre audience in her
story. We hear a male voice questioning her and
The play is a two-acter and is effectively also a
once the on air sign becomes visible we become
two-hander. The audience does hear the voice
aware that we are in a TV studio, although we
of the third characterRick, the television
never actually see the male interviewer. Bridie
interviewerbut he is never seen on stage. A
answers the questions put to her with a sense
number of off-stage characters are also referred
of candour that seems to take the interviewer
to throughout the play and the images of
almost by surprise. She tells of her enlistment and
historical characters are projected during the
the evacuation of Singapore. The shoe-horn is
performance establishing the wider world of the
introduced although at this stage we do not see
play.
it or yet understand its significance. Her story is
The main action of the play is set in 1995, but
punctuated by the song, Fall in Brother, and the
we are also projected back in time to the events
slide projections of posters and photographs of
of the fall of Singapore and the subsequent
women enlisting. The glass of water on the table
rescue by the Japanese and incarceration in
beside her evokes a sense of minimal survival.
prisoner-of-war camps. The scenes in the present
The scene ends in a moment of darkness with
take place in a TV studio, in the motel/hotel rooms
the reverberating sound of Rule Britannia and
in which they are staying during the filming of the
the projection of slides of prosperous Singapore
documentary about their wartime experiences
before the fall, signifying the last bastion of the
and in a neutral space somewhere within the
British Empire. Note the playwrights comment on
studio. Importantly the scenes also take us to
the last slide that projects the words, Dont listen
various real places during the war, including
to rumour: If only they had ...
Singapore and Belalau via the projected visual and
sound images. Student activities
At one level this is the story about the meeting 1. Make notes on the factual information Bridie
of two female POW survivors, Bridie Cartwright reveals about the war.
and Sheila Richards, for the first time since the
2. Make a list of words to describe first
end of the war fifty years previously. The two
impressions of this character and include
women had been evacuated from Singapore and
quotations from the script to support them.
had endured together the pain and suffering of
war. The play focuses on the re-establishment 3. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
of their relationship. We observe not only their highlighted in the dramatic form of this
reunion but their reconciliation. scene.
Their story is told in a complex theatrical form
that alerts the audience to the fact that this is Scene Two
not a simple narrative. The story unravels as the The lighting stage change reveals a scene shift
truths and untruths of the past are revealed. to a motel room in Melbourne. Bridie now
While on the one hand the focus is on the enters with Sheila who has just arrived. Sheila is
personal truths and lies, these are seen to be part carrying a pair of gloves and from this and her
of a much bigger issue: the construction of public attitude to the porter we are made aware of her
accounts of past events. We see the way in which British origins. The playwright indicates that
such public accounts obfuscate and conceal, there is tension between the two women. Part
and we see the effects of such obfuscation on of the puzzle for the audience is in establishing
individualskeep smiling. whether this tension is something that exists
in the present, or whether its origins go back


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M IS TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta Stathopoulos

into the past. Their dialogue reveals a sense of the memories takes on its own rhythm as the two
ambivalence in their reunion and we learn that women in dialogue tell the story of their time in
it is fifty years since they have seen each other. the water before the approach of the Japanese
We become aware of the existence of Myra, one ship. The shoe-horn which has been introduced
of the off-stage characters. As they manoeuvre in the opening scene begins to take on new
around each other and their questions and meanings as Bridie describes how she used it
accusations, they move to a point where their to keep Sheila conscious during this ordeal. We
shared past experience brings them to co-operate also learn that the shoe-horn was lost during
in the lifting of the suitcase in the rhythm of the war. The arrival of the Japanese is graphically
Japanese counting. The playwright notes that this presented to the audience with the sound of
dramatic action is to sound almost like a war cry the waves, the singing of Jerusalem and the
and is followed by a blackout. illumination of the Japanese flag. It is at this point
that the two are joined by their memories with
Student activities the linking of hands on stage as the Japanese
4. Have students make notes on the factual voices are heard. The scene ends with a crescendo
information that the two characters reveal as the singing continues under the images of the
about the war. Japanese invasion of Singapore and the fall of
5. Have students make a list of words to Empire is complete.
describe the relationship between these two
women in the present. Encourage them to
Student activities
7. Make notes on the factual information that is
consider whether the relationship might have
revealed about the events of the war and the
been different in the past.
fall of Singapore.
6. Have students make notes on the ideas or
8. Make a list of lines which reveal the tensions
issues that are highlighted in the dramatic
in the relationship between the two women
form of this scene.
at this point. Discuss why this tension exists.
S c e n e T h r ee 9. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
This scene opens with the nostalgic sound of highlighted by the dramatic form of this
a 1940s songSomething to Remember You scene.
Bywhich is to take on an almost ironic meaning
as the play continues and which we eventually Scene Four
connect with the shoe-horn. Sheilas nervousness This scene occurs in the motel room after the
in the television interview situation allows Bridie previous interview scene. As the two characters
to assume the more powerful stance, and we review the interview we see their different
assume that this is the role that she played in responses to the process of dredging up these
the relationship in earlier times. The voice of memories. Some of these responses reveal class
the interviewer continues with questions about and cultural differences as we see from their
the evacuation of Singapore and Sheilas upper- dialogue. The tensions that we witnessed in an
class British origins are confirmed. As Sheila earlier scene are still evident and the reasons
recounts these events from her perspective, we for them are still not clear. As they reflect on
see slides projected depicting the reality of the the interview their conversation turns to their
situation and hear Bridies verbal and non-verbal memories and this time they relive a moment of
interjections which indicate not only her attitude comic delight as they replay the sticking of the
to the situation but also to her memory and pin in Lipstick Larrys loin-cloth. This incident is
construction of the events. As the interviewer played out as a play within a play as they are both
probes Sheilas feelings we hear and see the recalling the past and enacting how they will talk
reality of the situation that she is describing. about it to the camera, then enacting it as if a
We hear waves and the sound of young Shelia camera were there to capture their performance.
singing Jerusalem, and images of the bombing This scene then concertinas into one image
and destruction of Singapore. The unfolding of as the sounds of Lipstick Larry punctuate


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

their performance. There is a blackness in this that he wants to ask, and we come to see how
performancethe beating of the young Bridie well the women have dealt with the horrors
and Sheilas attempt to save her from itand of their incarceration. We are also once again
there is a premonition of something more deep faced with notions of reality, truth, memory and
and powerful that is later to be revealed. The reconstructions of the past. The scene moves to
replayed moment then brings the audience back another moment of reconciliation between the
into the present and there is a moment of reality women as the shoe-horn once again features,
as they stand now at a distance from the sound this time as a metronome, and we hear of the
of Lipstick Larry beating Bridie. The scene ends singing that sustained the women in the camp.
with the sounds continuing as the two women in This information is underscored by the playing
the present clink glassesa dramatic action that of Bolero which builds to a climax, with Bridie
signals their reunion. conducting, as the scene ends.

Student activities Student activities

10. Make notes on the factual information that is 13. Make notes on the factual information that is
revealed about the war. revealed about the war.
11. Explore the views that each character has 14. Examine the questions that the interviewer
disclosed in the process of recounting these asks and note the ways in which the two
past events in their lives. Identify lines that women answer them.
reveal these attitudes.
15. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
12. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are highlighted by the dramatic form of this
highlighted by the dramatic form of this scene.
scene.
Scene S ix
Scene Five This scene opens in the empty hotel room.
This scene takes us back into the studio and we The womens entrance in the conga line dance
are once again in the middle of an interview. The suggests their growing reconciliation, but as
focus of this phase of the interview is on the the dialogue continues we are aware that there
sinking of the Vyner Brooke and the incarceration are still tensions between them. As they delve
in the prisoner-of-war camp. The scene begins into their memories we become aware that the
with the ironic sound of Happy Times, juxtaposed enemies were not only the Japanesebut also
with the sound of machine-gun fire and the the British and Australian authorities. Although
cries of women. Behind the words of Bridie and the scene begins with the joyous image of
Sheila are photographs of women in the camps dancing, the tension level builds throughout.
and a Japanese soldier. This scene reveals more The discovery of the snapshots is juxtaposed
of the tensions between the two women as each with the images that we have seen on the
reconstructs her own memory of their shared screen. The big picture is now refocussed for
ordeal. This ordeal included being available for the audience as Bridie surveys the photos. The
Japanese soldiers. Bridie recounts the situation of tension continues to increase. The production
Lavender Streetand how the women who had of the tobacco tin by Bridie seems like another
been set up tricked the Japanese by supposedly attempt at reconciliationbut it is obvious to
coughing up blood, simulating tuberculosis. the audience that this tin is also a further source
We learn of the ever-present hunger of the of tension, despite the expressions of fondness
prisoners as the two women recount the story that Bridie expresses for Sheila. As Bridie departs,
of the bone in the context of the contempt in Sheila is left alone on the stage and she takes
which the Japanese soldiers held women. It is at out the shoe-horn from a drawer. This is the
this point when Bridie produces the concrete first time the audience sees it and it takes on a
evidence in the form of the chop bone, that we symbolic significance that is to grow throughout
begin to realise the difficulty that the interviewer the play. There is a moment of flashback to the
is experiencing in articulating the questions young Sheila and Japanese soldiers and a song.


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M IS TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta Stathopoulos

The image of Sheila staring at the shoe-horn Sheila questions Bridie about what she has said in
passes and is replaced by projected images of war- the missed taping session and also seeks to have
ravaged women staring at the camera. Bridie recount the events of the previous night
which are something of a blur in her memory.
Student activities This scene shows Bridie in a mothering rolea
16. Make notes on the factual information that is situation that is to be reversed before the play
revealed about the war. ends.
17. Examine the relationship between the two Underpinning the interaction in this scene is
women as it is revealed in their actions and an attempt by Bridie to understand why Sheila
their dialogue. had rejected her after they had been rescued
from the camp at the end of the war. Finally Sheila
18. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
takes out the shoe-horn and throws it onto the
highlighted by the dramatic form of this
bed. Bridie sees her initials on it and begins to
scene.
question Sheila as to how she had come by it.
S c e n e Se v en There is now real tension between the two with
Bridie no longer in the position of control. Sheila
This scene is again in the interview. It begins with
recalls Belalau and retells the events which Bridie
images of emaciated women POWs. The scene is
was too sick to know aboutincluding Sheilas
essentially a monologue punctuated by questions
sacrifice for her. This revelation is underscored
from the interviewer. We learn about Bridies
by the noise of crickets which cut out as Bridie
experience of the war camp, and it is important
is faced with the truth. The scene ends with a
for what we are later to learn about Sheila that we
dramatic representation of the isolation of the
see Bridie apparently strong and dealing with the
two characters in the spotlights and the voice-
situation. The image of sharing the caramel, the
over flashback to the moment when Sheila
story of the Christmas carolironically presented
returned from the Japanese with the tablets
with the singing of O Come All ye Faithful and
for Bridie. The final moment on stage has Bridie
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemenand the meeting
turning to face Sheila, the slow fading of lights
with the man that Bridie was later to marry,
and the song, After the Ball is Over.
presented against the song Well Meet Again,
highlight issues about camaraderie and loyalty set Student activities
against the horrors of war. 22. Make notes on the factual information that is
revealed about the war.
Student activities
19. Make notes on the factual information that is 23. Make notes on the events of the previous
revealed about the war. night and try to account for this behaviour.
20. Examine the language of Bridies monologue 24. Make a list of words to describe impressions
and how this reveals her attitude to the of the relationship between the two women
events that she is recalling and describing. at this point in the play.
21. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are 25. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
highlighted by the dramatic form of this highlighted by the dramatic form of this
scene. scene.
26. Discuss how the audience might respond to
S c e n e E i g ht
an interval at this point.
This scene opens with the drinking of a glass of
fizzing watera neat juxtaposition with the Act Two: Scene Nine
earlier image of the glass of water and the images The scene opens in the studio and dominating
of hunger and thirst in the camps. We learn that the space is a large image of both Australian and
Sheila has missed an interview session because British women bowing to the Japanese. This huge
of her hangover. The dialogue in this scene is image remains throughout most of the scene and
also about past eventsand more recent events. the audience cannot escape its meaning. Both


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

Bridie and Sheila are present and Bridie is off to altercation leaves them not knowing how much
one side singing the Captives Hymn (with the he has heard. The juxtaposition of the song Ill
womens choir). Sheila is speaking to the camera Walk Alone suggests the isolation of each of
and her answers to the questions are juxtaposed these victims of this dreadful situation.
with Bridies singing. In this interview we learn
about the situation in Belalau and the Japanese Student activities
order that had been issued to kill every prisoner of 30. Make notes on the factual information that is
war. revealed about the war.
Bridies illness and the way in which Sheila 31. Make notes on their view of the relationship
looked after her is made publicbut Sheila baulks between the women in this scene. Consider
at telling the whole truth about how she acquired what might be causing the tensions that are
the drugs to save her, making up the story of the evident in the scene.
shoe-horn saving her. This information is picked
32. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
up by the interviewer as if it is highly significant.
highlighted by the dramatic form of this
The scene ends with the story of Curtins
scene.
message: Keep smiling, girls. The horror of this
command is emphasised by the image of Curtin Scene E leven
and the prisoners and the Judy Garland song.
This scene is back in the studio and the visual
Student activities image of the postcards seems dwarfed beside
27. Make notes on the factual information that is the projected images that we have previously
revealed about the war. seen. The recitation of the words of each of
the postcards leads the women back into their
28. Make notes on the way that Sheila has memories. The moments of darkness highlight the
responded to the events of the war. Examine pain of these experiences.
the ways in which she uses language in this In this scene the image of the sonata becomes
scene to both reveal and hide her feelings. significant as the women trawl back through their
29. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are memories together. In this scene, one of the most
highlighted by the dramatic form of this important issues of the play is highlightedthe
scene. complete lack of acknowledgement by the
Australian government juxtaposed with the
Scene Ten pitifully small amount of compensation paid by
The transition to this scene holds the image of the Japanese government to these victims of the
emaciated male prisoners in view as we move power play of these sovereign states.
into a space that is neither hotel room nor studio
although both characters are still wearing body Student activities
microphones. Sheila has not gone to lunch and is 33. Make notes on the factual information that is
sitting doing some kind of tapestryan image revealed about the war.
of stitching things together. Bridie comments on 34. Discuss the feelings that the women reveal
the photograph of the soldiersa comment that about their memories in this scene.
stimulates a riposte from Sheila about the role of 35. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
the government in suppressing information about highlighted by the dramatic form of this
the womens role in the war. This interaction scene.
between the on-stage action and the projected
Scene Twelve
visual images connects past and present.
Their conversation reveals the tension that is This scene takes place in the motel room. Bridie
now out in the open. Recriminations flow as Bridie is attempting to re-establish their relationship
tries to make sense of what she has learned and despite the obvious tensions between them. It
Sheila tries to defend her actions, not only with is in this scene that we learn of Bridies crime in
the Japanese but also in leaving Bridie after the the David Jones food hall. We now understand
war. The intercutting of Ricks voice into their how she feels and why she reacted in this way.


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M IS TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta Stathopoulos

Sheilas reaction to this confession allows us to theft from David Jones. The simplicity of these
see how deeply scarred these women have been truths juxtaposed with the official lies of the
by their experiencesnot only by the Japanese, government ring out with a clarity and candour
but also by the responses and inaction of their that is underlined by the gradual darkness that
own countries. Sheilas realisation is that it is follows the revelation. This scene ends with the
important not only for themselves but for the sounds of the hymn An Epitaph to War, images of
thousands of others similarly afflicted to tell the women recuperating and the huge projected
these stories in public. Bridie is not yet convinced image of the army nurses arriving in Singapore.
and the tension between them arises again.
We are now aware that this tension is about Student activities
the present, the past, memories, recollections, 39. Make notes on the factual information that is
reconstructions, truth, shame and guilt. The revealed about the war.
moment of darkness returns, followed by 40. Examine the relationship between the
images of great men of history and the song, characters that is revealed in this scene.
Whispering Grass.
41. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
Student activities highlighted by the dramatic form of this
36. Make notes on the factual information that is scene.
revealed about the war.
Scene Fourteen
37. Make notes on the ideas about truth and lies The filming has finished, and Bridie is reading a
that are revealed in this scene. newspapera poignant symbol of the official
38. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are version of news. The two colleagues and friends
highlighted by the dramatic form of this are now reunited and this is contained in the
scene. image of the lifting of the suitcase. While most of
the tension has been released there is still some
S c e n e T h i rteen unresolved business to be dealt with. Sheila holds
This scene cuts straight into the interview as out the shoe-horn, now the symbol not only of
both Bridie and Sheila recount their experiences their reunion, but also of their reconciliation. The
as the war draws to an end. We hear about the two women embrace. The play ends with them
diaries and the burning of these by the British. women dancing to the Blue Danube and in the
This is overlaid with images of Hiroshima and slowly darkening space the final spotlight falls on
the news of the death of Pearl after the war had the shoe-horn.
officially ended. There is a sense of calm as both
women recount these events, although at one Student activities
significant moment Sheilas composure cracks. 42. Make notes on the factual information that is
It is at this point that we see the symbiotic revealed about the war.
relationship that the women had previously 43. Discuss the reconciliation that has taken
enjoyed. As Bridie finishes recounting the place between the characters.
anecdote that Sheila had begun they join hands
44. Make notes on the ideas or issues that are
and relive, together, that moment of memory and
highlighted by the dramatic form of this
reconciliation. The playing of the Blue Danube
scene.
Waltz is a counterpoint to their memories.
Dancing becomes associated with life and joy
and hope and survival, and this is juxtaposed with 4 . C o n c e r n s o r t h e m es
the Japanese atrocities in Belalau and the visual
images of the celebrations of the end of the war. of the play
The scene reaches a climax as the confessions This is a complex play that layers issue over issue
of the two women are made public. This is the in a dramatically intricate pattern. It is important
moment of truth as Bridie tells about Sheilas that students are able to visualise the action that
personal sacrifice and Sheila tells of Bridies is occurring on the stage. This includes not only


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

the action between the two characters and the 46. Make notes on the ideas in the play
interactions between the two characters and the associated with the writing of history and
interviewer, but also the actions of the projected identify the dramatic and theatrical aspects
visual and auditory images. The play only exists in which expose these ideas.
this complete picture and it is from this complete
47. Write an essay in response to one of the
picture that the issues, concerns or themes are
following topics:
derived.
a. History is what happened after its been
cleaned up and made palatable. Doris
H i s t o r y a nd historiography
Lessing
While the focus of the play appears to be on the
How does this play explore this idea?
two individual characters, it is through their
b. History shows that its the killing that is
story that we discover an even bigger storythe
valued and the saving that isnt.
ways in which official sources construct histories
Does this play support this statement?
so that truth becomes a central casualty. In
one sense the play is about historiography or Truth, honesty, candour
the writing of history. This is evident in various
Truth is central to the ideas of this play. The idea
aspects of the play including the juxtaposition
of truth, telling the truth and recognising the
of the factual information in the slides and the
truth is not located only in the interrelationship
fictional characters. But it also operates within
between the two women. Certainly, we come
the stories of the characters themselves moving
to understand that there has been a concealing
within the stage space. The hesitation of the
of truth between them during their time in the
women to tell their stories publicly has helped
camp and after their release. This concealment is
to skew the writing of the history. But we come
aided by Sheilas geographical isolation. For Bridie,
to understand the ways in which the women
telling the truth has arisen as an issue in relation
have effectively colluded with Japanese, British
to the theft from the David Jones food hall.
and Australian officialdom by keeping their own
Telling the truth is also shown to be an issue in
counsel.
their interactions in the present; but honestyor
It is interesting that now, fifty years after
more significantlylack of it, is also shown to
the war, they are telling their stories in an
be part of the modus operandi of the British,
oral medium because, unlike other official war
Australian and Japanese. Official concealments
stories, they have not been recorded in writing.
have their official spin, but they are concealments,
It is also significant that in the telling of these
nevertheless. Perhaps in the final analysis, this play
stories it is the male interviewer who is seeking
demonstrates that such concealments cannot be
the information for another public medium of
contained forever. Truth will out.
recording historyone that is as potentially
selective as the official government records can Student activities
be. In both cases it is the stories that are not 48. Explore those aspects of the play which deal
toldthe negative informationthat leads to a with the notion of honesty or truth.
skewed and untruthful account of events. This is a
49. Identify the dramatic and theatrical aspects
play about the stories that are not told for various
which expose these ideas.
reasons.
50. Write an essay on the following topic:
Student activities Bridie: Do you want me to tell the truth?
45. Work through the play to identify those How important is telling the truth for the
aspects of the dramatic and theatrical action two characters in this play?
which are concerned with the notion of
historiography. The fall of empire
The play is ultimately about the fall of two
empires: the British and the Japanese. The
notion of empire is associated with patriarchy


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M IS TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta Stathopoulos

and a certain lifestyle that favours the rich and the nurses and, of course between the Japanese
privileged. Empire confers on men power and captors and the prisoners-of-war.
status and deprives women and children of it.
This play demonstrates the atrocious extent Student activities
to which such power can be used against the 55. Explore those aspects of the play which deal
disenfranchised. It also demonstrates the ways in with power relationships.
which those with such power can use and abuse it 56. Identify the dramatic and theatrical aspects
and the lengths to which they will go in order to which expose these ideas.
ensure they maintain their power.
57. Make a list of quotations from the stage
Singapore, in one sense, was the last bastion of
directions and dialogue which illustrate these
the British empire and the fall of Singapore to the
ideas.
Japanese occurred in particularly extraordinary
circumstances which demonstrate the 58. Write an essay on the following topic: This
ethnocentrism of the British and their reluctance is a play that demonstrates how power-
to give up their power. This is symbolised in relationships are never static but always
the character of Sheilas mother. The fall of the changing. Is this your view of the play?
Japanese empire effectively came as the allied
powers won the war and the play reveals the
Heroism
difficulty that the Japanese soldiers in the camps The play revolves around the heroic deeds of the
experienced in relinquishing their power. women during the war. These deeds were acts of
physical courage of the highest order. For Sheila,
Student activities the supreme sacrifice of selling her body to the
51. Explore images of empire in the play. Japanese in order to obtain the necessary drugs
52. Collect quotations from the play to illustrate for her friends survival is all the more poignant as
these images. Remember to include quotes we understand the cultural and social background
from the stage directions as well as from the that she had come from. But these are not the
dialogue. only deeds of heroism.
As the stories unfurl we encounter the heroic
53. Identify the dramatic and theatrical aspects spirit not only of these two women, but of others
which expose these ideas. who were in the same situation. We come to
54. Write an essay on the following topic: When understand heroism not only as a masculine
empires fall they crush those without power characteristic, and not merely associated with
and status. To what extent is this true for the great physical feats. Sheilas greatest heroic act is
characters in this play? to give her body to the Japanese soldiers in order
to save the life of her friend.
P o w e r r e l ationships
This play explores power relationships at a Student activities
number of levels. The most obvious power play 59. Explore those aspects of the play which
on stage occurs between the interviewer and the demonstrate heroism.
women that he is interviewing. This power play 60. Make a list of quotations from the play
has an ambiguous moment in which the women that illustrate heroism. Be sure to collect
are uncertain as to whether Rick has overheard a quotations from the stage directions as well
private conversation. as from the dialogue.
There is also a shifting power play between
61. Identify the dramatic and theatrical moments
the two women themselves that is a reflection
in which these ideas are highlighted.
of shifts in the power relationships that had
been in play between them during the war. These 62. Write an essay on the following topic: This is
shifts are also set against the power relationships a play about women who did the right thing
between the British authorities and British for their country and carried out heroic acts
nationals in Singapore, Australian authorities and for each other. To what extent is this a main
concern of this play?


 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

M e m o r i e s , dealing with pain, even worse atrocity which plagues the lives of
these women after the war.
r e c o n c i l i a tion
But there were also some positive effects
A key focus of this play is on the reconciliation
of the war for these women. The closeness
that eventually occurs between the two women.
of their relationships and the ways in which
This reconciliation is not easily come by and
they supported each other demonstrates a
indeed at some points throughout the play it
friendship that does, in fact, stand the test of
seems doubtful whether it is possible at all. The
time. The recounting of the wartime incidents
reunion of the two means that layers of memories
demonstrates the courage, the loyalty and the
must be recalled, relived and reconstructed so
determination of these women.
that understanding and acceptance can come into
play. This is a painful process but both characters Student activities
come to understand that running away from pain 66. Work through the play to identify those
is only one way of dealing with it and there is aspects of the dramatic and theatrical
something satisfying for them in dealing with it action which are concerned with war and its
in a more open way now that they are together atrocities.
again.
67. Make notes on the ideas in the play
For each character we see that there is both
associated with war and identify the dramatic
a personal reconciliation with painful memories
and theatrical aspects which expose these
as well as a reconciliation with each other. The
ideas.
reconciliation of their friendship can only occur
when the personal reconciliation has been 68. Write an essay in response to one of the
achieved. What is obvious at the end of the play is following topics:
that there has yet to be a public reconciliation for a. The Shoe-Horn Sonata shows us that it
these women with the wider world which is still is possible to come to terms with the
to acknowledge them. harmful effects of wartime atrocities;
b. To what extent do the characters
Student activities come to terms with the effects of their
63. Explore those aspects of the play which deal experiences?
with memories and reconciliation.
64. Identify the dramatic and theatrical aspects
which expose these ideas. 5. Dramatic form and
65. Write an essay on the following topic:
theatrical structure
Would you care to join me in ... celebrating The play is a complex non-naturalistic piece that
peace? To what extent have the two women works particularly well in a small theatre space. It
achieved peace by the end of the play? uses techniques that are reminiscent of Brechts
notion of epic theatre. The episodic structure
W a r a n d a trocities with slides, sounds, music, specific lighting effects
The play highlights the horrors of war particularly and symbols point out the larger issues for the
for women and civilians. The atrocious way in audience and reader. These are essential aspects
which human beings treat fellow human beings of the textnot simply directorial or design
in a wartime situation is not restricted to the elements associated with a particular production.
Japanese, but seen to be central to war itself. The It is important that students understand that
atrocities are seen to have affected both womens these aspects are not addenda to the main action
lives ever after. but essential components of it. The dramatic
What is particularly significant for these and theatrical devices communicate the plays
women is the requirement to keep smiling and meanings.
to repress the memories. For these women the
memories of the atrocities are tinged with guilt
and shame. In some respects this amounts to an

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 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M IS TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta Stathopoulos

P r o j e c t e d images reconstructions of past realities. There are also

significant moments of silence.
There are many images projected throughout the
action on the stage. These images also include Student activities
words projected onto the screen. The images 75. Read through the play and make a list of the
juxtapose the fictional and the real so as to sounds required by the script. Note moments
heighten the audiences understanding of the of silence. For each sound (or moment of
enormity of the issues. silence) note what is occurring on stage while
the sound is audible.
Student activities
69. Read through the play and make a list of the 76. Identify the mood associated with each
projected images required by the script. For sound and the effect on the mood when the
each image, note what is occurring on stage sound cuts out.
while the image is projected.
77. Identify the main ideas communicated
70. Identify the main ideas communicated through the sounds juxtaposed with the
through the projected images juxtaposed dramatic action.
with the dramatic action.
Lighting spots and darkne s s
71. Collect a set of quotations from the stage
Lighting is commonly designed for a particular
directions that support these ideas or issues.
theatrical production. In The Shoe-Horn Sonata,
Music Misto has designed particular uses of lighting
and darkness as essential to his script. These
Music is essential to the action. The words of
are, therefore, essential components of the
songs and the particular musical items highlight
playwrights meaning, rather than aspects of
the notion of the sonata. The placement of
the directors or designers interpretation of the
particular items of music serve to link the actions
script.
of the present, the memories of the past, the
reality of the past and the officially sanctioned Student activities
versions of the past. 78. Read through the play and make a list of
moments when the playwright requires a
Student activities
lighting spot on a person or object.
72. Read through the play and make a list of the
music required by the script. For each item of 79. Identify the main ideas associated with this
music, note what dramatic action is occurring use of lighting.
on stage and any slides that are projected
80. Read through the play and make a list of
onto the screen during the music.
moments when the playwright requires
73. Examine the words of the songs that are sung darkness.
in the play. Identify how these highlight the
81. Identify the main ideas associated with the
key issues of the play.
use of darkness.
74. Identify the concerns of the play that are
communicated through the music. Symbols
A symbol is an image which contains a meaning
Sounds of greater significance than its concrete
The sounds are particularly important in manifestation. A symbol may be an object, an
establishing the mood and the meanings of the action, a sound or projected image. In this play
play. There is a range of sounds that establish there are several images that take on symbolic
the reality of the pastthe singing of the significance. The most important symbolic object
crickets or the lapping of the waves. The deus is the shoe-horn. The significance of this object
ex machina effect of these amplified sounds which is used to help put on boots grows as the
further highlights the issues of memories and play develops. There are other symbols in the play,

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 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

including the kowtow, the song Jerusalem and Bridie

the Japanese counting.
The Bridie that we see on stage is in her early
Student activities 70s. As she recounts the events of the war and
82. Identify moments in the play when the interacts with Sheila we learn about her life
symbol of the shoe-horn is highlighted. Trace before the war, her reasons for enlisting and
the developing patterns of ideas associated her ways of coping with the war experiences at
with the shoe-horn as the play progresses. the time and since the war ended. What strikes
us most about her recollections of the painful
83. Identify other symbols in the play such as events of the war is the apparently emotion-
the kowtow and the sonata, and identify the free way in which she recounts them. Bridie is
ideas associated with these symbols in terms a complex character who has constructed her
of the play as a whole. own moral stance to deal with the aftershocks
Humour of these shocking experiences. The interest for
This play exposes an atrocious situationnot the audience is not only in the ways in which she
only of the war and its effects on the women who deals with her painful memories but also in how
were caught up in itbut also of the ways in she deals with the confrontation with the truths
which the truth about such atrocities is hidden about the past in the present.
from public view. Yet it is a very funny play. The We come to know Bridie not only in the
humour derives not only from the way in which present but also as she recalls and relives past
the women used the power of the human spirit to memories. Bridies first moment on stage
laugh at adversity, but also from the way in which shows her demonstrating the action of the
the playwright has juxtaposed those moments kowtowa gesture that in some ways highlights
of recounting of comic events with the horrors an important aspect of her personality. We see
of the memories of the reality. The light and dark her answering Ricks questions, in dialogue with
in this play allows us to be both horrified and Sheila, re-enacting past moments and we hear her
entertained. As in any great tragedy, the comic younger voice in flashback. All that we see about
allows not simply relief from the pain, but helps us Bridie is also juxtaposed with the reality of the
to question the reasons for the horror. situation as depicted in the projected visual and
sound images.
Student activities
84. Read through the play and identify moments Student activities
where there is humour. This may be in action 87. Examine the various ways in which aspects of
or dialogue. Bridies character is revealed.

85. Discuss the effects of the humour at each 88. Make a list of key lines which Bridie speaks in
point. the present that indicate her viewpoint on
the war.
86. Identify how the humour highlights the key
issues. 89. Identify moments of dramatic action that
indicate aspects of Bridies character.
90. Make a list of quotations that illustrate
6. Charac t e r s salient features of Bridies character.
The characters in this play include not only the
onstage characters of Bridie and Sheila. The voice Sheila
of Rick the interviewer establishes the main off- Sheila, although resident in Australia since the
stage character, but there are also other off-stage war, is basically British. We first see her entering
characters in the present and the remembered the motel room and she is distinguished by the
past. Juxtaposed with these fictional characters gloves that she carries. Unlike Bridie she is still
are the real people whose image appear on the single. As the play unfolds we learn about her
screens. life as a girl in Singapore before the invasion,
her evacuation as the Japanese invade and the

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 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M IS TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta Stathopoulos

terrible existence that she endured as a young and the play exposes, inter alia, one key reason for
prisoner-of-war. We are also aware from her initial this tension: honestyor the lack thereof. It is
responses that the experiences have made their only now, years after the event, that the truth is
mark upon the girl who is now a middle-aged able to be revealed and a reconciliation is possible.
woman. John Misto has said that this story is about
As the play proceeds, we become aware that an unknown holocaust. An important aspect of
Sheilas relationship with Bridie all those years the holocaust is the difficulty of presenting the
ago cannot be replicated in the present. We realitythe truth. Atrocities are hidden, and
watch as Sheila gradually reaches the point where evidence obliterated. As the play draws to its
candour is possible and the relationship between close we realise not only the extent of what the
the two women can be reconstructed. We meet women themselves have kept hidden, but more
Sheila through her monologues, her interactions importantly, that their silence is part of a much
with Bridie, her answering of Ricks questions, larger conspiracy to keep the reality of these
her enactment of earlier events and through the events from public notice. It is a masterful stroke
voiceover flashbacks to wartime incidents. to present these stories within the framework of
investigative journalismthe interview situation.
Student activities
91. Examine the various ways in which aspects of Student activities
Sheilas character are revealed. 95. Explore the relationship between the two
characters in the past from the events that
92. Make a list of key lines which Sheila speaks
they recall, recount and re-enact.
in the present that indicate her viewpoint on
the war. 96. Explore the relationship between the two
characters in the present up to the moment
93. Compare these lines with lines in the
in which Sheila is about to admit her sexual
flashbacks involving the younger Sheila.
encounter with the Japanese soldier. Explore
94. Identify moments of dramatic action that not only the dialogue but the characters
indicate aspects of Sheilas character. actions to identify what is happening
between these two characters.
T h e r e l a t i onship between 97. Explore the course of the relationship from
B r i d i e a n d Sheila the moment of Sheilas revelation to the
In one sense this play is about the relationship final dance at the end. Explore not only
between these two characters. It demonstrates the dialogue but the characters actions to
how two human beings can support each other identify what is happening between these
through the most horrendous eventsthe two characters.
horrors of war. It also explores how such events
98. Write an essay in answer to the following
can erode inner peace. They had once shared
question:
food, literally taking it out of one mouth and
Bridie: ... the war is over. And you and I are free.
putting it in the other. They had dragged each
To what extent are these two characters now
other to safety. They had crawled on the ground
free?
digging graves. They had once been prepared
to die together. Both characters are troubled,
guilt-ridden and traumatised by what they have
Off-stage characters
endured. There are several off-stage characters in this
But the play is not simply the celebration play. While the audience only hears the voice
of a reunion of two people who have been of Rick, other characters are also significant. In
separated by the passage of time. It is about addition, the projected images of real people are
reconciliationthe restoring of a relationship juxtaposed with these characters.
which had nurtured them both through the Rick is the main off-stage character. We hear
horrors. Yet the reunion is not without tension his voice as he questions the women in the
interview scenes. He only asks questions and the

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 C u r r e n c y P r e s s S t u d y G u i d e 1 J O H N M I S TO S THE SHOE-HORN SONATA 1 by Henrietta S tathop oulos

nature of these questions changes as the play imaginative recreations and analytical essays.
proceeds. Ricks presence in the play highlights The following selection includes imaginative
the notion of the manipulation of these women recreation and analytical essay topics.
by unseen men. His position of power as he asks
questions reflects the positions of power of the Imaginative recreation
unseen men at whose hands these women have 104. Imagine that you have been asked to provide
suffered in the past. There is also an uncanny advice to a theatre company about the
sense that they may even suffer at his hands as possibility of including The Shoe-Horn Sonata
we see in the scene where there is some doubt in a season of significant Australian plays.
as to whether he has overheard the womens Write a submission outlining your view of the
conversation. play and its value.
In one sense Rick is the catalyst for the 105. Imagine that you are Sheila. Write a letter
womens eventual reunion. He provides them to Bridie after returning home to Perth in
with the opportunity of telling all. But he is which you reflect on the events in Melbourne
not simply seeking to elicit information for the during the taping of the documentary.
benefit of the women, and they are sensitive
to the fact that in telling their stories they are 106. Imagine that you are Ricks script editor.
vulnerable to his power to shape them to suit his Write the script for the documentary
own ends. In this sense it is no different from the sequence about the war-time experience
situation of vulnerability and impotence that they of these two women. Consider carefully the
experienced during the war, although the results spin that you are to put on their story.
are obviously likely to be less hazardous. 107. Imagine that you have been asked to write
There are other characters who appear as off- an article for a womens magazine in which
stage characters in the present and in the past you discuss the usefulness of theatre for
(both during the war and before the war). These highlighting issues of concern to women.
characters are evoked through the dialogue. They Write your article using The Shoe-Horn
include such personages as Lipstick Larry, Sheilas Sonata to illustrate your viewpoint.
mother and Bridies father.
Analytical essay
Student activities 108. Mistos play is a complex dramatic unveiling
99. Examine all the questions asked by Rick.
of a monument to the women whose cause
Explore any patterns in the questions and the
he is championing. How does Misto make use
ways in which he asks them.
of dramatic devices to achieve this?
100. Make notes on the dramatic function of Rick
109. The Shoe-Horn Sonata is piece of chamber
in terms of the ideas of the play as a whole.
theatre that demonstrates the importance of
101. Skim through the play and identify all personal loyalty and love. Is this all there is to
references to other characters in the play. the play?
102. Note who mentions each character and in 110. the victims of historys worstand least
what circumstances. known massacre; to what extent is this a
description of the issue underpinning this
103. Identify the ways in which the various
play?
off-stage characters are connected with
particular ideas or symbols in the play. 111. They are simply forgotten. To what extent
is this a play about remembering and
forgetting?
7. Writin g a b o u t t h e 112. This play is John Mistos monument to the
play Australian Army Nurses and to all those
Students should have the opportunity of writing women and children who have suffered in
about this play in a range of ways, including war. How does Misto create his monument?

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