Illawarra actors make headway after brain injuries during Flame Festival

First Draft will be performed as part of the Illawarra Flame Festival at Mount Keira Scout Camp on August 20, by actors with an acquired brain injury (ABI).

The project is part of an eight-year partnership between Eaton Gorge Theatre Company and Headway (an organisation helping people with life after sustaining an ABI).

Eaton Gorge CEO Juliet Scrine said the reasons were varied for each performer’s injury – from being hit by drunk drivers, to a jet-ski accident and enduring a bad tackle on the rugby league field.

“Through drama they’re getting more self confidence and the projects we do are an inclusive thing, so they’re part of a festival … so they interact with everybody and it normalises it,” she said.

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Each year the group writes a play to be performed to the masses, which Ms Scrine said immensely helps their memory skills.

“They have very bad short term memories. There’s one guy - I've been with them for years and years – but he still doesn’t know my name,” she said.

“One of the guy’s, Omar, he wouldn’t even catch a bus when I first met him and now since doing drama he lives independently, he talks to high school students about responsible driving.”

Sam Smalley, 39, from Dapto suffered an ABI after a car accident many years ago (one of the leading causes according to Headway).

He’s been part of the drama group for eight years and loves that he is able to be part of a team.

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“You hear the crowd laughing and cheering at the end of the shows and it makes you feel really good inside and as part of a team,” Mr Smalley said.

“There’s no pressure, everyone just has a good time while performing and you don’t have to pretend you’re something you’re not.”

The other two productions as part of the Flame Festival include: Wet Wheat Bags, a dramatic interpretation of how a fire on the escarpment in 1968 affected the region; and The Spark, looking at the effect of fire on local habitat.

Other events during the festival include guided bushwalks on August 4, presentations on the science behind bushfires on August 11, plus fire twirling and chilli tastings as part of a full-day program on August 20.

For more information on the play or other activities visit: www.illawarraflamefestival.com