Shoehorn Sonata - Distinctively Visual

though his acclaimed play the shoehorn sonata playwright john misto utilises distinctively visual techniques to explore and convey the theme of friendship and mate-ships. through these dramatic and literary devises and through the use of his protagonists, bridie and sheila, misto explores how strong friendships can come from unlikely circumstance, while also conveying and highlighting how he quintessential australian notion of mate-ship can allow an individual to not only survive dark times but to ultimately overcome the greatest adversities.

Even the strongest of bonds can have the heaviest of complications. The relationship between our two protagonist Bridie and Sheila is a strained one that leads to fragile results, the viewer understands this through the moments were both of them argue all the time or the cutting sarcastic remarks that are left by Bridie. the irony with the postcards send by sheila's mother "raffles bombed. daddy devastated. chin up. mother" and the message from the australian prime minister "greetings and keep smiling" the irony is then proved with the quote from sheila "they were skin and bone and covered in boils - and they'd just been told to 'keep smiling'!" of course this turns out to be immensely funny to the women and they couldnt stop laughing.

the terror when bridie and sheila are stranded in the water and they accidentally catch the attention of a japanese ship with its flag raised high like this visual technique is enacted my the projector as it shows "a large japanese flag, the blood-red rising sun, which is gradually illuminated as the scene continues" (stage directions from the playbook). the terror is then penetrated by the harsh japanese voices being filtered through the sound system and the older sheila and bridie hold hands giving the look of complete vulnerability as they stand in the spotlight and stare straight ahead as if encompassed by the memory. this allows the audience to see the strength of the bond that these