My Father’s Wars
On the day that she discovers she can’t bury her dying mother with her father, Ruth realises that much of her childhood was shaped by her father’s experience of war, many years before she was born.
Synopsis
My Father’s Wars is the vivid, funny and sometimes shocking story of a daughter’s search for her dead father amongst the letters and diaries of other young soldiers who fought with him.
Part verbatim work, part personal story, the play takes us to the muddy trenches of the Western Front and to a child’s suburban Brisbane, transforming the story of one ANZAC into a universal story of soldiering and its intergenerational impact. These are all our fathers.
Written by: Elaine Acworth
Themes: War and its intergenerational impact, Memory, Family, Soldiering, Australian History
Length: 45 Minutes
Suitable for: Adults and students Years 7-12.
Cast size: 3
Character ages: 5–80
Production History
My Father’s Wars was theatrically produced, and digitally captured in front of a live audience at Yeronga State High School on 1 October, 2021.