'Till The Boys Come Home
is copyright © S. McLean 2004

• The play's historical background
• The history of the play's development
• The genesis of the play

THE PLAY'S HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Using live action with historical radio broadcast recordings and newsreels, 'Till The Boys Come Home takes a journey back to a period of Melbourne’s history that has been widely overlooked. Of course we know about the battles of the time – the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Kokoda Track, but what of those left at home? And what of the many untold stories of the women who lived through the war both at home and abroad – be it in one of the auxiliary military services, in factories, as nurses or taking care of young children and families? This play focuses on their stories … told for the first time on the stage. 1942 was the year that the military fully opened their ranks to women via the auxiliary services – creating the WAAAF, the WRANS and the AWAS amongst others. The Women’s Land Army was formed. Nurses were sent out to various war fronts during this year and many of them were captured or killed by the Japanese in February, May and July. This was also the year that Darwin was bombed by the Japanese – 68 times in 12 months – Sydney was bombed and Melbourne was scouted by the enemy from the air as a prelude to bombing attacks that, thankfully, never came. This play is a timely commemoration of all those who served on the Home Front, as well as those who fought overseas for the freedoms we now all enjoy. It also celebrates Melbourne’s contribution to the war effort – a contribution that was unique to any other city in Australia. In 1942 Melbourne housed not just the Australian Combined Operational Intelligence Centre, Central War Room and HQ, but also MacArthur’s HQ for the American and Allied Forces, the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service, the Australian Army Cipher Production Unit, RAAF HQ Signals Unit, HQ for Special Operations, Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) and the Analytical section of FRUMEL, amongst others. Every building was sandbagged, gun towers adorned the top of major buildings, the citizenry endured rationing, air raid warnings and black-outs – it was a time of great fear, but also great courage and resilience. 'Till The Boys Come Home is a celebration of those who stayed behind – the women who kept the home fires burning, who made the best of a bad lot and who braved through one of the toughest times in Melbourne’s history. THE HISTORY OF THE PLAY'S DEVELOPMENT 'Till The Boys Come Home was originally performed in Mt Martha, Victoria in July 2004 for script development purposes under the title PS I Love You. The cast consisted of students from the Acting Up weekly drama classes, run by writer/director, Sally McLean. Both performances were attended by returned servicemen, women who had served on the Home Front, members of the press, arts industry practitioners and members of the general public. Invaluable feedback was received from audiences - including further information about events covered in the play told to us by people who had lived through this time. An exhibition was also included in the foyer, celebrating those who had served on the Home Front of WW2 in Melbourne, accompanied by actual radio broadcasts and music from the time, which was very much appreciated by those who attended. We were delighted to have several of the contributors present at the performances in the audience, who thoroughly enjoyed being asked questions from the younger audience members as well as sharing memories with those who had also experienced this part of Melbourne’s history, at the suppers held after the play on both evenings. Our thanks go out to all those who attended the show and gave feedback, as well as our dedicated cast and crew. We would also like to thank our sponsors for supporting us and the press for promoting the two performances so well. After several re-writes, we are now bringing the play to a wider audience, with an initial three week Melbourne season planned for 2008. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to be notified when tickets become available, as well as other information about the show (such as the 2008 season dates) and Incognita's other projects, click HERE to sign up. To find out about our 2006 production Chasing Pegasus (a play in ten chords), staged at Gasworks Theatre, including all reviews and press, go to the official Chasing Pegasus website HERE.