How The Really Small Theatre Company came into being
On February 24, 2005, while visiting Sydney, Australia for work (I'm actually an astronomer, but don't hold that against me) my hosts took me to the Glen Street Theatre in Frenchs Forest to see a play about which they had read many rave reviews and heard many glowing praises. Knowing my passion for and involvement in theater they were eager to treat me to a night at the theater. Long after the play had ended and we had arrived back home and had a nightcap overlooking the ocean in the soft, warm Sydney air and dissected our feelings and impressions of the play, the echoes of the actors' voices haunted me throughout that night and the rest of my stay.
I was so moved by what I had experienced that I vowed that upon my return to Finland the first thing I would do would be to ask my dear friends Angie Hämäläinen and Joan Nordlund if they'd like to join me in a play reading of this amazing play I had seen in Sydney. (Does the Pope wear a funny hat?) About a month later found us script in one hand, glass of wine in the other, and settled into our chairs to read through the play. After the last lines of dialogue and the last set of stage directions and the words 'The End' were uttered, the three of us sat in silence for a few moments. Wiping away a tear or two, as one woman the three of us said, 'This has to be staged. This story has to be brought to an audience, also here, in Finland.'
'This' was the play The Shoe-Horn Sonata by Australian playwright John Misto, for which he won the 1995 Australia Remembers National Play Competition and the 1996 Play Award, NSW Premier's Literary Awards. The Shoe-Horn Sonata tells the story of two women – an Australian nurse and an English civilian – who met in the waters outside of Singapore after their ships were sunk during World War II. They were amongst survivors who were captured and taken to Japanese war camps in Malaya. The play goes back-and-forth between reminiscences of their time in war camp to the present where the two women have met after some fifty years at the behest of a documentary maker. The women's stories range from clinical re-tellings of some of the brutalities they suffered, to more light-hearted memories of camaraderie and shared survival skills, to disclosures of painful personal sacrifices. The one thing that kept them going during those dark days was music, specifically the songs sung by the choir that they and other prisoners formed. And the one thing that kept the choir going was the shoe-horn that had been given to the young Australian army nurse by her father. That shoe-horn was used to keep time while the choir, composed of so many frightened young women, sang those songs that kept their spirits up during those days, months, and years in war camp.
That night – the night Angie, Joan, and I got together to read The Shoe-Horn Sonata – The Really Small Theatre Company – was conceived. We wanted a platform from which to launch The Shoe-Horn Sonata project and within days we had the commitment of so many people who were willing to help us in this endeavor, including Jonathan Hutchings who lent his distinctive voice to 'Rick', Joe White and Barry White (no relation!) who generously let loose their talents in sound and light design, and many others. John Misto himself provided us with the slides for the backdrop and general encouragement throughout our rehearsal period. We began to rehearse later that summer, in the wonderful space of the Nordlunds' office.
Finally, on December 4, 2005, The Really Small Theatre Company debuted at Teatteri Jurkka with the first-ever performance of The Shoe-Horn Sonata. We had another four performances, and we'll never forget the kindness, generosity, and support of the Jurkka staff.
After that, The Really Small Theatre Company took off with a life of its own thanks very much to the drive and determination of Joan Nordlund, and the support of so many.
Still today, nearly ten years on from the first time I sat in the audience in Frenchs Forest, I get goose-bumps at the power of the play, and I am so grateful of the forces that came together to bring this play onto the stage.
Thank you, The Really Small Theatre Company, for the joy, the tears, the laughter, the memories. I miss you.
Diana Hannikainen - West Palm Beach - August 2014
