To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War 2, Limelight Touring Company and Benalla Art Gallery is proud to present the Shoe Horn Sonata by John Misto.

A story of friendship, survival, enduring hope and sadness. Two women reunite and share their stories as war camp survivors.

Proudly supported by Veteran’s Remembers & State Government Victoria The Shoe Horn Sonata is a play by Australian playwright John Misto. Misto is one of Australia's most eminent playwrights, working as a script writer for Australian television, creating and writing the hit television series The Damnation of Harvey McHugh.

The Shoe Horn Sonata is set in 1995, fifty years after protagonists Sheila and Bridie were released from a Japanese prison camp where they were held during World War II. This is the first time that they have been together since their liberation and their reason for reuniting is to appear on a television documentary about their wartime experiences. Both women had been captured when the ships they were traveling on were torpedoed by Japanese submarines, and sunk, leaving the ships' passengers to be picked up by the invading Japanese Navy. Although they used to be friends, the two women harbor a lot of resentment for each other. At the end of the play we learn that both women have been holding on to terrible secrets for fifty years. It is only when they reveal these secrets to their interviewer, that they truly feel liberated from their experiences.

The Shoe Horn Sonata is Misto's best known play, and his most prolifically awarded, winning the Australia Remembers Play Competition and the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award for best play. Misto has written nine other plays, but this remains both his most widely performed and his most memorable.

To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War 2, Limelight Touring Company and Benalla Art Gallery is proud to present the Shoe Horn Sonata by John Misto.

A story of friendship, survival, enduring hope and sadness. Two women reunite and share their stories as war camp survivors.

Proudly supported by Veteran’s Remembers & State Government Victoria The Shoe Horn Sonata is a play by Australian playwright John Misto. Misto is one of Australia's most eminent playwrights, working as a script writer for Australian television, creating and writing the hit television series The Damnation of Harvey McHugh.

The Shoe Horn Sonata is set in 1995, fifty years after protagonists Sheila and Bridie were released from a Japanese prison camp where they were held during World War II. This is the first time that they have been together since their liberation and their reason for reuniting is to appear on a television documentary about their wartime experiences. Both women had been captured when the ships they were traveling on were torpedoed by Japanese submarines, and sunk, leaving the ships' passengers to be picked up by the invading Japanese Navy. Although they used to be friends, the two women harbor a lot of resentment for each other. At the end of the play we learn that both women have been holding on to terrible secrets for fifty years. It is only when they reveal these secrets to their interviewer, that they truly feel liberated from their experiences.

The Shoe Horn Sonata is Misto's best known play, and his most prolifically awarded, winning the Australia Remembers Play Competition and the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award for best play. Misto has written nine other plays, but this remains both his most widely performed and his most memorable.

When: Friday 25 April (ANZAC Day), 2.30PM (1.45hrs + interval)
Where: Ledger Gallery
Price: $30 members / $35 non-members

Numbers are limited. Payment and registration essential.

Image: Vanida O'Brien

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Contact the host of The Shoe Horn Sonata - Limelight Touring Company

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