Theatre maker Gavin Roach has been behind some much loved theatrical shows in recent years.

Most recently the appeared at The Blue Room during Fringe World with Measure of Man. His previous success include Confessions of a Grindr Addict and I Can’t Say the F Word.

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Now Gavin and collaborator Dirk Hoult are working on a new creative endevour We Were There: A Verbatim Theatre Project.

Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre in which plays are constructed from the precise words spoken by people interviewed about a particular event or topic.

OUTinPerth spoke to Gavin Roach about the project.

What inspired you to start creating this project?

Myself and Dirk Hoult were inspired to create the work after many discussions on the lack of female representation surrounding the HIV/AIDS narrative in Australia.

There are many plays, both Australian and International, that deal with issues that men have faced but so few of them rarely, if at all, tell the story from the viewpoint of women.

Both Dirk and I have a passion for Australian theatre and developing new and challenging work and we feel that this project is one that needs to be told to shine a light on a time in our history that seems to have forgotten those that were there.

What types of people would you like to hear from?

We are looking for individuals that identify as female and know someone living with or have been living with HIV/AIDS themselves.

We want to hear stories from women who were there during the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Australia, who cared for individuals or were cared for themselves.

We are looking for stories from mothers, sisters, friends, nurses, doctors etc, anyone that has a story to tell.

How will the stories be recorded?

The stories would be recorded in person, if possible, or via a questionnaire that can be emailed or posted. All interviews come with a consent form for individuals to sign, that outlines how the responses will be used in the work and if requested, interviewees can remain 100% anonymous.

How do people get in touch with you if they’ve got something to share?

Anyone interested in the project or wants to share their stories can get in touch via our email.

The production has partnered with The Australian Cultural Fund to raise funds for the shows creation. Donations can be made at their website. 

Graeme Watson