COLOURFUL characters from Comrec Mount Gambier will express themselves to the community next Thursday night when they take centre stage for their Ovation peformance This Is Me.
The Wehl Street Theatre is expected to come to life when the disabled participants share their inspiring stories.
This Is Me will tell emotional stories of each subject using documentary theatre, which has been developed over many weeks.
Ovation artistic director Jamie Harding has been working with the clients for weeks on ways to express their stories.
“Throughout the course of the program, I sat down with them all and did a bunch of interviews,” Mr Harding said.
“From those interviews, we found interesting ways to theatricalise their stories.”
Mr Harding said all the content was created by the participants and the show focused on subjects with meaning for them.
“It’s interesting to hear their stories and realise how universal those stories are, regardless of whether you have a disability,” he said.
“It’s also about shattering some of the perceptions that surround disability, so it is a really powerful little show.”
It is not the first time clients from Comrec have performed on the big stage, with Mr Harding working with members from the organisation on a show a few years ago.
“They had family and friends come along to the last show and they were bawling their eyes out seeing these guys achieve amazing things,” Mr Harding said.
“Having an opportunity to perform on the stage is huge for them.”
He said it was amazing to see how the clients responded to the emotions experienced on performance night.
“When they first jumped up they had all the same emotions as my able-bodied students of nervousness,” Mr Harding said.
“But then seeing them get to that stage of not wanting to leave the stage and the complete joy they were getting from being there is pretty amazing.”
Working with the group a second time around, Mr Harding said he had enjoyed every moment he has spent with them.
“Put it this way, it’s not very many classes that I walk into and I get a standing ovation and cheering before I even say anything,” he said.
“It’s one of the highlights of my week, they are an amazing group to work with and their joy and passion pushes me.”
Ovation will also host student performances of Club Neverland next Friday night at the Wehl Street Theatre.
