1915: The Untold Story (Spoilers Included)

1915: The Untold Story - 4 out of 5 stars
Hills Youth Theatre
TICKETS: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1567971

1915: The Untold Story was originally written by HYT Senior Youth Director Karen Houghton in 2018, marking the centenary anniversary of the ANZACs. Now, in 2026, the work returns to HYT’s calendar to cap off the company’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Co-Directors Ben Proeve and Harri Wolff treat this production as a significant farewell to HYT before both move on to new projects — Proeve, who originated the role of Marty in 2018, and Wolff, who first experienced the piece as an audience member.

Throughout the performance piece, it is evident that the HYT Senior cohort not only greatly respect the work they are pouring their hearts into, but also the direction, guidance and support they have been provided by Proeve and Wolff.

1915: The Untold Story follows an Adelaide Hills community grappling with the Great War on the homefront, intercut with letters from soldiers and nurses at the front. Eldest Green son Roy enlists alongside friends Marty, Jack and Eddie, dividing his family. As anti-German sentiment rises, neighbour Mrs Schultz loses her Lutheran school, is ostracised and bullied, and her husband is arrested, forcing the family from the town. When the war ends, Roy, Marty and Jack return home, leaving behind Eddie and Charlie (who lied about his age to enlist).

Mahendra Baker portrays Roy Green with presence and precision, anchoring the homefront narrative as the eldest son who volunteers. He navigates Roy’s journey—enlistment, combat, grief and fraying family ties—without reducing him to a single note, handling the material with sensitivity and letting quiet moments resonate as strongly as the big beats. The final montage, in which Roy returns irrevocably changed, is executed brilliantly, conveying the psychological toll of war and the distance now between him and the life he left behind.

Avah Bowen, as Charlie Green, delivers a layered performance from overlooked younger sibling to fallen soldier. Early scenes establish Charlie’s frustration at being excluded from Roy’s friend circle, with Bowen conveying a mix of admiration, resentment and longing through subtle physicality. Charlie’s determination to prove himself is tragically understandable. The battlefield sequence leading to Charlie’s death is staged with clarity, and Bowen’s final moments land with quiet, devastating impact.

Margret Green, the matriarch of the household, is portrayed by Kestrel Carney with exquisite emotional depth. Carney captures the quiet strength and underlying anxiety of a woman holding her family together as her sons head to war, her composure fraying just enough to reveal the cost of each new telegram. The moment she learns of Charlie’s death is handled with restrained devastation, while the later scene in which she receives the letter confirming Roy’s safe return allows Carney to shift into a complex mix of relief, lingering sorrow and wary optimism.

Josiah Braendler, as Robert Green, provides the alternative side of the coin, staunchly supporting his children’s decision to enlist and framing their service as a duty to defend the empire. His performance balances paternal pride, showing a man who believes in the cause. Braendler has also quite remarkably given his character a persistent limp, a subtle physical choice that wordlessly explains why he himself has not enlisted.

Audrey Vincent plays Sarah Green with a delicate balance of youthful innocence and emerging maturity, ensuring she remains childlike, even as the war influences every corner of her world. Standing up for what is right in the schoolyard, defending marginalised classmates and refusing to join in the bullying of the Schultz children becomes a powerful act of moral courage. Vincent delivers these moments using clear, honest reactions and a steady voice to show a girl learning to navigate fear, loyalty and justice while still clinging to the simple certainties of childhood.

Audrey Coligan’s Daisy Mitchell gives a great performance, bringing warmth and sincerity to a character whose own life is reshaped by the war. Daisy’s relationship with Roy develops from youthful affection into something much deeper, and Coligan allows the character to mature without losing the gentleness that makes her so likeable. Daisy’s experience is an important contrast to Roy’s, remaining in the world he left behind, and trying to build a future around the possibility of his return. Overall, Coligan gives Daisy a quiet emotional strength, representing the loved ones who learned to live with the person war has returned to them.

Jackson Barnes, Sam Whitehead, and James Wells portray Marty, Jack and Eddie respectively, bring individuality to their characters, which could otherwise have easily become cookie cutouts of soldiers. Likewise, Jade Lea, Jewels Percy, and Juliet Wolff portray Nancy, Carol, and Lily, Cheer Up Hut volunteers, and friends of Daisy, each adding personality within their character choices and mannerisms, particularly highlighting Carol’s one-track mind.

Sophie Calder portrays an unenviable Mrs Schultz, who because of the fear and distrust in the community, is forced out of employment, and out of her community. Calder delivers a strong and consistent German accent throughout the play and tackles the difficult character profile with exceptional results. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the way Mrs Schultz and the other Germans in the community were treated, and the way the Jews were later treated in WWII.

Sound and Lighting Design and execution was consistently spot on throughout the production, providing clear differences between the stories explored within the Adelaide Hills community and the conditions on the battlegrounds in Europe. Time lapsed was experienced via radio broadcasts that occurred during scene changes, provided by John Graham.

The scene changes flowed well with the Green household behind a mid-stage curtain, and much of the outdoors action happening in the same space, relying on dialogue and small set pieces and props to help distinguish other settings.

In bringing 1915: The Untold Story back to the stage for HYT’s 40th anniversary, co-directors Proeve and Wolff have entrusted this poignant homefront story to a Senior cohort that clearly honours both the material and the mentorship they’ve received. This production upholds HYT’s enduring commitment to nurturing young artists capable of handling complex, respectful storytelling.

- Andrew Broadbent