THE SHOEHORN SONATA:

Module A Elective 2
Sally Pratt

Distinctly Visual Note: Initially, it is helpful to show a couple of scenes

from Paradise Road as students are often unfamiliar
The Shoehorn Sonata has a new focus distinctly visual
with the historical aspects of this play.
and is no longer a close study of text. Therefore, it
requires a linking between the visual (textual features)
interpretation (meaning) and effect (feelings, a deepened
Preliminary Activities
understanding, awareness). To assist students in their understanding of how the
visual shapes meaning and response, it is useful to:
The module states that in their responding and
composing, students: Present them with an advertisement or propaganda
poster that includes some written text.
Explore the ways the images we see and/or visualise in Discuss:
texts are created.
Consider how the forms and language create these purpose
images, affect interpretation and shape meaning. audience * explore the
relationship. between composer ways images
In The Shoehorn Sonata therefore, the consideration of
the visual goes beyond the projected slides. A drama text and responder we see in
is a visual literary form. The elements of characterisation, context texts are
dialogue, gesture, dance, music, sound effects, stage whose interests are being served created.
directions, dramatic imagery, lighting, symbolism and how are particular groups
sets are all deliberate constructions that shape the * consider how
represented? (eg women)
distinctly visual and affect an audiences response. By the forms
visualising, an audience not only sees what is occurring is the image stereotyped?
and language
on stage, but experiences a range of emotions fear, what does the image convey
affect
anger, pity, joy, admiration and so on. Through his visual about the world from which it
comes? interpretation
composition, Misto creates and manipulates verbal and
visual images which challenge/reinforce an audiences how is the image constructed? and shape
beliefs and values ie affects interpretation and shapes meaning
meaning. (Module statement)
Then have students change the above by altering the
Overview of Play audience, purpose and impact. To achieve this, they
The play centres on the relationship between Sheila may add other images, manipulate the image, alter
and Bridie, two elderly women, who experienced the the language or delete aspects of the original. Then
trauma of a POW camp in Malaya and who have had students should explain their new image and how the
no contact since the end of the war. Bridies brashness meaning was created.
and confidence create a strong physical presence. Sheila OR
is a more remote and mysterious character and seems You have been hired as a public relations
composed and collected. However, she is still governed consultant by one of the following organisations.
by her memories. John Misto, through the visual medium They want to promote an image that appeals
of his play, explores their relationship, the effects of the to young people. Your task is to design an
past and the intimacy, dignity and triumph that occur advertisement/poster/pamphlet which does
when both women acknowledge their pasts. John Misto this. You must have as your main textual feature,
also examines the importance of the governments and a visual image, but you must also use words to
societys acknowledgement of events that occurred in support it.
our history and the fact that we cannot move on until Attach to your work an explanation of how the
we declare our past. A good analogy is the recent Sorry textual features you have used, create the image
Day. The play is about the loss of harmony and harmony (100 words). Here you may consider colour, style
restored reconciliation. This is reflected in the title of language, arrangement of the text, elements such
of the play and the dancing in the final scene. The final as contrast, lighting, positioning of the image etc.
words in the play are joy and triumph and survival.

mETAphor Issue 1, 2009 37

THE SHOEHORN SONATA:
Possible organisations:
 The Lawn Bowls' Association
 The Gardening Society
 Genealogical Society
 The Heritage Association
 The Art Gallery Support Group
 One of your choice eg a charity group
How the sets contribute to the visual
There are two sets the motel room and the television
studio. Each is impersonal and comparatively bare,
providing a neutral place for the memories to unfold,
allowing Misto to shape his images more potently
through dramatic conventions. The set plays an
important role in The Shoehorn Sonata. It does this in
several ways. In particular, it defines the plays time and
setting, it gives information about the characters of Bridie
and Sheila and it establishes the mood and atmosphere
of the play, which enhances an audiences visualisation
of the characters and events and hence their emotional
responses towards them.
The audience is aware that the play is set in the present.
However, the play is also very much about the past and
Mistos task, in writing this play, was to educate the
audience about those past events, so that they could
understand Bridies and Sheilas experiences and the
enormous impact these had on their lives.
To do this in a plausible manner, Misto sets half the play in
a television studio. This set is ideal in limiting the amount
of dialogue necessary to inform the audience of the history
of a war that changed these womens lives. It gives the play
a framework for the investigation of past events, which is
plausible and convenient. It also enables Misto to employ
dramatic techniques such as lighting, slides, music and
sound - techniques that may have been inappropriate in a
different set; these contribute to the many verbal and visual
images Misto creates for our understanding of the issues in
the play as well as the characters.
The play begins on a dark silent set, which evokes in the
audience the darkness and pain of the characters memories,
as well as suggesting their stories have been hidden for too
long. Out of the darkness will come truth. The slides educate
the audience about the war and help convey more effectively
Mistos themes the pain of war, power and memories.
They also establish the authenticity of Bridies and Sheilas
experiences, as well as allowing the audience to understand
and relate more closely with them. The music has a similar
effect, both enhancing the images and each scenes mood,
38
Module A Elective 2
establishing the reality of the past and conveying the power
of memory.
The television set is also effective in reinforcing the
images Misto creates in the play of women whose lives
have been controlled by men much of their lives. Rick,
the disembodied voice, is able to call the shots and
control the interview. The television set, by its very
nature, controls the characters responses, just as they
were controlled by the Japanese and Sheilas and Bridies
respective governments. Just as they were exposed to
danger in the camp, they are exposed here too and must
always be wary of Ricks questions and motives.
The motel room allows Bridie and Sheila private time away
from the studio. This set is sterile and without character, like
all motel rooms. This enables Misto to focus the audience
on the characters and their reunion. Because this set lacks
warmth, the audience is more aware of the tension between
Bridie and Sheila and the lack of warmth in their reunion.
Sheila, in this cold atmosphere, reveals little of herself, apart
from her discomfort. The set helps to highlight this. The
motel room also represents the private space of each woman.
Here we see the power of the sub-text working to reveal
their pain how they move across the room, their language
and the gaps and silences. All powerfully contribute to both
the images Misto constructs and the emotions he engenders
in the audience.
Student Activity: How do the sets allow the audience to
visualise the ideas and characters in the play and shape
audience response (feelings/understanding/awareness)?
QUESTIONS: Students consider how the forms and
language of texts create images, affect interpretation and
shape meaning.
Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2
1. The first word of the play is Darkness. Explain the
significance of this opening image.
2. Consider Bridies dialogue and stage directions in
Scene 1. What do you learn about her character and
how does it establish your image of her?
3. Misto uses visual and verbal images to explore the
following issues:
 Imperialism. Eg dialogue (p. 20), They have slanty
eyesshoot? Here we see upper class British
snobbery at work and appreciate British arrogance
and myopia.
 Attitude to women
 Historys ignorance of their plight
Next to each issue explain how the dramatic techniques
create images that deepen your understanding.
English Teachers Association of NSW
THE SHOEHORN SONATA:
4. In Scene 2, we see that the relationship between
the two women is tense. What dramatic techniques
shape our perception of this tension? Consider stage
directions, dialogue and set.
5. How do the gloves shape our perception of Sheila?
What other dramatic techniques help shape our
image of her?
6. How do the dramatic techniques shape our image of
Bridie in these scenes?
7. Comment on the symbolism of the suitcase in terms
of how we visualise their lives, past and present.
Scene 3
1. Sheilas discomfort is evident at the beginning of
this scene. How does Misto position the audience to
visualise this through the dialogue, music and stage
directions?
2. The following issues are explored in this scene.
Complete the table below.
Module A Elective 2
.3. Explain how Sheilas dialogue further intensifies our
image of her and the story of her capture.
4. How does the very, very bright spotlight, the sound
of the lapping waves, the slides and the voiceovers
of the young Sheila and Bridie add to the images
conveyed in the dialogue?
5. What image is created when Sheila and Bridie hold
hands and the Japanese voices are heard on the
soundtrack? How is the audience positioned?
Scene 4
1. Bridie longs for a renewed closeness with Sheila. How
does an audience see the tension between them?
2. What dramatic features help an audience visualise
Lipstick Larry and the brutality of the Japanese?
3. Misto uses dialogue, stage directions and flashback
to juxtapose the loincloth incident with the womens
humour regarding the event. How does this
strengthen your visualisation and understanding of
Bridie and Sheila?

ISSUE DRAMATIC FEATURES WHAT IS VISUALISED? HOW THIS AFFECTS

MEANING/RESPONSE

The fall of empire Jerusalem hymn music The greatness of Imperial
Britain
Slides of Singapore The vulnerability of the
Harbour p. 32 young women in the sea.
Danger, aloneness.
We see the once proud
Singapore brought to her
knees.
Creates sense of renown
and defence.
Establishes mood and time.
Feel pity, concern and
admiration of their courage.
Sense of sadness/pathos.
Heralds death and misery;
fearful for what this means
for B&S.

Lighting gradual Future suffering, young lives Ominous sense of Japanese

illumination of Japanese exposed. victory and fear for the lives
flag and rising sun. p. 35 of B&S.

The rise of empire

Power

War

Attitudes to women

mETAphor Issue 1, 2009 39

THE SHOEHORN SONATA:
Module A Elective 2
Scene 5
1. The following issues are explored in this scene.
Complete the table below.

ISSUE DRAMATIC FEATURES WHAT IS HOW THIS AFFECTS

VISUALISED? MEANING/RESPONSE

War and atrocities Dialogue: All the men were
bayoneted p. 41
Soundtrack of womens cries
p. 41
Brutality of the Japanese
forces; agony and fear of
the prisoners.
Horror and desperation of
brave and decent women.
Feel horror, pity and anger;
understanding of the past.
Feel horror at wars brutality;
deeper understanding
of Bridie & Sheilas past
experiences and how this
affects present.

Slides of women and Suffering, innocent Feel anger and reach a deeper
starving children in the civilians; the pity of war. understanding of the effects
camps. P. 41 of war.

Symbol of chop bone p. 45 Starving women; appalling Understand depth of

conditions of the camp. friendship and miracle of their
survival.

Heroism

Power

Truth

Attitudes to women

Resilience

2. How does the juxtaposition of Happy Times against
the sounds of machine gun fire add to the audiences
visual understanding?
3. Through the choir, Misto depicts the courage and
nobility of the prisoners-of-war. How does he do this?
Scene 8
1. This scene begins with both characters hurt and
concealing their true feelings. How has Misto created
this image?
2. Sheilas way of dealing with the truth is to dig a hole
and bury it. Explain the effect of this image.
3. Look at the description of Belalau. What does it
represent about the issue of truth in the play?
4. The image created of Sheila is one of a very proper
English woman. How does this image magnify the
sacrifice she has made in order to save Bridies life?
5. When Sheila recounts her ordeal with the soldiers, it
is parenthesised by the sound of the crickets becoming
louder and then ceasing. How does this sound affect
and enhance our visualisation of the event?
6. What image of the women is created in the stage
direction, isolated in the spotlight?
7. The shoehorn is a symbol of hope and survival for
Bridie. It represents her fathers love, her inclusion in
the musical performance and it is a good luck omen.
What does it symbolise for Sheila?

40 English Teachers Association of NSW

THE SHOEHORN SONATA:
Act 2, Scene 9
1. Explain the effect of the huge photograph of bowing
female prisoners-of war.
2. Where else and why has Misto used the image of
bowing in the play?
3. How does the hymn enhance the image the audience
has?
4. What image of the women is conveyed in the black
humour of the chant, One day I killed a Jap?
5. What is the effect of the image of fading women in the
photograph?
6. Through Sheilas dialogue (virtually a monologue) we
visualise the women reduced to animals. How does
this image affect your response?
7. Sheilas monologue of events is juxtaposed with
Bridies singing. How does this enhance the images
of fear and suffering conveyed by Sheila? How is the
audience affected?
8. Curtins message to the women is to keep smiling.
a) In the light of what we know about their plight,
how does Misto position us to view the authorities
back home?
b) Look at the womens response. What does this
reveal about them?
Scene 10
1. What do we visualise about Sheilas situation when we
see her doing tapestry on p. 68?
2. Identify the dramatic techniques in this scene that
depict the effects of the war on Sheila. How has your
image of Sheila been developed throughout the play?
Scene 11
1. Look at the contrast between the two letters Bridie
and Sheila received. Briefly describe your visualisation
of each family as conveyed through each letter.
2. Explain the use of darkness in this scene.
3. Explain the significance of the word sonata in the
title. We see it working in this scene. Explain how it
helps us to visualise harmony restored and how you
feel as an audience.
4. The issues of truth, reconciliation and war atrocities
are explored in this scene. Identify the dramatic
techniques Misto has used to explore these issues
and how they help the audience to visualise and
understand these issues. Draw your own table, similar
to those in Scenes 3 and 5.
mETAphor Issue 1, 2009
Module A Elective 2
Scene 12
1. Bridie is still affected by the war. What visualisation
techniques are used to convey this?
2. What is Misto depicting when he ends this scene
with the photos of the wartime leaders and the song,
Whispering Grass?
Scene 13
1. Why is the destruction of the diaries, depicted in the
dialogue, followed by the image of the atomic bomb?
2. Look at the actions of the British authorities and
the Japanese on pp. 8081. What does this contrast
portray about the womens vulnerability to those in
power?
3. How does Misto elicit audience sympathy on pp.
8084?
4. How do the stage directions in this scene help us to
see the reconciliation between Sheila and Bridie?
5. The final image is a tribute to the Army nurses and
a condemnation of the Army and the government.
Explain how the image and the accompanying music
achieve this.
Scene 14
1. Look at the final stage direction. How does the
symbol of the shoehorn, as well as the music and
lighting shape your final image?
Extra
For the following types of conflict, give two examples and
identify the visual language Misto uses to construct the
conflict and how it affects our interpretation of the play.
Personal between characters
Internal within characters involving a decision to
be made
Social between society and a character or group. of
characters
Natural non-human or natural occurrences.
(Eg a farmer and a drought)
Character Sheet
Students are to complete a sheet for Bridie and
Sheila, showing how each dramatic feature creates a
visualisation of each character and shapes meaning
(audience response).
41
THE SHOEHORN SONATA:
Module A Elective 2

Nurses of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) leave Melbourne for the Middle East, 29 December 1940. (AWM 003062).
Image courtesy of Dept of Veterans Affairs http://www.dva.gov.au/images/commems/keydates/optimized/10-A.jpg

Example of Character Sheet BRIDIE

DRAMATIC
EXAMPLES VISUALISATION
FEATURE
tries to straighten up p. 19; big walk; An older woman; vigorous; bold; a person who
she takes everything on offer p. 37; takes the opportunities offered her; used to
looking at Sheila fondly p. 24; taking control of others/situations; affectionate;
Gesture Bridie conducts p. 46; demonstrative; enthusiastic.
Bridie makes a flourishing gesture p. 46 Allows us to relate to Bridie, to be aware that war
atrocities happened to ordinary people, to admire
resilience.

Dialogue
Projected images
Music
Flashbacks
Sound effects
Lighting
Dance
Symbols
Humour
Stage directions

EXTENDED RESPONSE
Using the notes collected, write an extended response to the question:
How does Misto use dramatic structure and language to help the audience visualise the events that he unfolds?

42 English Teachers Association of NSW

RICHARD III KINGS GAMES:
murder, muddy, marry or make friends
Dr Kate Flaherty, University of Sydney
D
And so they said, these matters bee Kings
games, as it were stage-playes, and for the
most part played upon scaffolds.
I
n Shakespeares Richard III, Richards final step to
the throne is a bluff. In Act 3, scene 7, he plays at
being reticent to take the crown and thereby, with
the help of Buckingham, stages a scene in which he
appears persuaded to do so against his will. This scene
from Shakespeares play achieves dramatic realisation of
Thomas Mores insight about the machinations of royal
power and the territory it shares with theatre. Richard III
is all about the games kings play.
In teaching Richard III to senior high-school students
in modern Australia, the gaming analogy is one that
will have useful resonance and can be used to overcome
the daunting historical complexity of the play. In the
exercise below I have turned the gaming analogy into
a one-lesson game for introducing the play. Following
the exercise is a set of suggestions for how this game
might be built upon in further classes and some in-depth
discussion about why it is a particularly effective way to
introduce Shakespeares play.
What youll need
A4 sheets or large cards with character names (see
chart below) written (large) on one side and the
tableau to which each belongs written on the other.
(Characters belong to the tableau in which they first
appearsee chart below).
Key quotes stuck to the back of some character cards
(optional)
A class of around 20 students
Open floor space
A few chairs/desks for students to arrange
A set of cardboard crowns (optional)
The table below for your own reference
mETAphor Issue 1, 2009
The History of Richard the Third
Thomas More 1641
The aim of the game
The game is a game of political strategy. It comprises a set
of levels, each represented by a tableau. At each level it is
the task of the player to be Richard Duke of Gloucester
who murders, marries, muddies and makes friends to
make his way to the throne.
Setting up the game
1. Devise or have your students devise one simple
physical gesture for each of the following: murder,
marry, muddy, make friends. Explain that these are
Richard of Gloucesters tactics in Shakespeares play
for gaining the throne.
2. Distribute character cards to students and ask all
students with Tableau 1 cards to come to the front
of the room and create a tableau that reflects their
characters statuses/relationships (eg. Henry and
Margaret on thrones, Anne and Prince Edward sitting
at their feet). If your students are very new to the play,
you may need to set up the tableau and explain the
relationships yourself.
Playing the game
1. Of the students remaining, nominate one to play
Richardto murder, marry, muddy or make friends
with the characters in the tableau to pave his path to
the throne. Allow the player to take an action, then
to explain his reasons for doing so. When the action
of the first tableau is complete (Henry VI and Prince
Edward murdered) set up Tableau 2.
2. Continue allowing players to take turns as Richard
and setting up successive tableaux as the players
succeed in ridding Richard of obstacles to the
throne. Use the table below as your guide for the
actions that need to take place in each tableau. Skip
subtler actions if you think them unimportant to
the level of your students understanding. Prompt
students if they get stuck: Who besides Richards
brother Clarence is in line for the throne? (The
young princes). What should you do about them?
43