Soldiers Under Sentence

In collaboration with the Greater Geelong Creative Inc., Someone New Theatre Company is proud to be developing and presenting its devised performance for Soldiers Under Sentence, at the Old Geelong Gaol.

the infamous twenty-two

Concept

On July 23rd, 1945, the boldest escape from the iconic Geelong Gaol operating as an Army Detention centre occurred, when 22 soldiers under sentence, rushed the gates and disappeared into the night. The legend of these 22 soldiers is documented only in public archives and internal records of the Geelong Gaol Museum.

Characters

Our performance will follow the people involved with the escape: the prisoners, the guards, the nurses, and the warden. The play requires eight (8) actors: five male, and three female. Each is based on a person involved with the escape attempt.

Script

Our incredible team has already presented the first draft of the script, titled Away Without Leave. An expressionist tragedy that grapples with the theme of dehumanisation and mental health, the play will be further developed by the actors in the space.

Setting

From the arrest and incarceration of the twenty-two prisoners, through their sojourn within the walls of the Geelong Gaol - in its guise at Detention Barracks 8 - and finally through the daring escape, this play will recount the events of 77 years ago in the same place that they occurred.

PRODuction

Away Without Leave will audition in September for this one-off run of six performances in November 2022, all set in the Old Geelong Gaol. More details will be released on our SNTC social media, on this webpage, and for early announcements and access to auditions, sign up to our mailing list!