I'll tell You This for Nothing by Kate JasonSmith

Photo: Jenny Kohlhagen

Phyllis JasonSmith was one of only three NZ women ever to have been honoured with France's highest decoration, the Légion d'Honneur, for extreme bravery in WWII. And she was my mother. We grew up on war stories of bombs screaming overhead as she and other QA nurses crawled around the hospital tent on their knees among the constant stream of wounded and dying soldiers "... the only light our tilly lamps, the only water a barrel outside the tent door." Not all her stories were tragic, in fact most had a lighter side, a twist, a punchline. And then there was the love story, woven through her tale like a ray of hope. Phyllis was vivacious, courageous, humorous, haunted by the war until the end of her long life. In creating this 60-minute solo performance, I've been blessed with the talents of director Jan Bolwell and dramaturge Deb Filler to bring to life Phyllis's tales of war, courage, romance and danger.

I'll Tell You This for Nothing, starring Kate JasonSmith, Circa Theatre, April-May 2022. Photo: Stephen A'Court Photography

Written and performed by Kate JasonSmith.

Directed by Jan Bolwell.

Dramaturg Deb Filler

Recorded at Circa Theatre in 2022 by David Harris

Produced for RNZ by Duncan Smith