The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto 2024

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Based on true events, the Shoe-Horn Sonata is a compelling revelation of the experiences of women imprisoned by the Japanese in WWII told through two who meet again fifty years later.

In 1945 Sheila and Bridie were freed from a Japanese POW camp deep in the jungles of Sumatra where thousands of women and children had lived and died, virtually forgotten by their own governments for the duration of the 1942-45 Pacific War. Now, after being separated for half a century, the filming of a television documentary forces the women to relive a past in which unspeakable brutality was punctuated by moments of heroism, tenderness and even gentle humour. They confront terrible secrets that even the Australian government has tried to erase from history.

The Shoe-Horn Sonata was first performed at Sydney's Ensemble Theatre in 1995 and won both the Australia Remembers National Play Competition (1995) and the Play Award for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards (1996) for Australian playwright John Misto.