Refugee students to share personal stories of survival, escape from tyranny and resettlement in Australia.

Treehouse Theatre, a not-for-profit organisation with a drama focussed trauma recovery program for young refugees in South Western Sydney, will host its latest production “Found” at the Seymour Centre on November 3 and November 4, 2022.

Young refugees attending Miller High School and Intensive English Centre will charm and inspire with their humour, honesty and innocence as they perform pivotal moments from their lives. The production provides a platform for newly arrived refugee students to perform their own true stories about the fall of Kabul and the invasion by ISIS, in a symphony of spoken word, music and movement.

Since 2010, through a combination of therapeutic storytelling and performance, Treehouse Theatre has supported over 400 refugee students from war zones around the world to share their stories and recover from their refugee past. Many of these students are now adults making positive contributions to Australia in a variety of trades and professions. Audiences of over 30,000 have laughed, cried, and shared in their triumph.

Ruth Hartcher-O’Brien, Co-Founder, original Artistic Director, EAL/D and Drama teacher says, “Over the last 13 years of running our program, Treehouse Theatre has seen the brilliant transformation of these young refugees. The participants report that the program. culminating in performances in front of live audiences, helped them heal from past trauma and importantly, reflect on their past without becoming overwhelmed by it. By allowing students to perform their own stories verbatim, we provide a safe and playful space for young people to heal and process their grief and trauma.”

“We all see the growth in confidence, in their English language skills and in their feeling of belonging to Australia. Our program facilitates post traumatic growth whereby young refugees become survivors of trauma rather than victims of it,” she says.

In bearing witness to authentic storytelling, Found assists those in the audience including non-refugee students to better appreciate the lives of refugees who are struggling with current resettlement issues and past trauma. Those in the audience with similar lived-experiences will feel acknowledged and recognised.

Event details

Time: Duration of 90 minutes per show;

Thursday 3 November| 10AM

Friday 4 November | 10am 12:30PM & 7PM

Location: Seymour Centre, City Rd, Chippendale.

Cost: From $20. Details here.

-END-

About Treehouse Theatre program

Founded in 2010, Treehouse Theatre is a non-profit organisation based in Sydney Australia, performing the stories of young refugees. In the Treehouse program, young refugees tell their personal stories in a group counselling circle. The stories are recorded verbatim. The Treehouse directors write them up into scripts. Music, sound effects, lighting and visual effects are added. The scripts are then workshopped with the students and more details of the actual events often emerge. The aim is to create a coherent narrative of the trauma. As they rehearse in a safe, happy and playful environment, the young people are repeatedly exposed to these events. They gradually realise that they can remember these horrors and maintain a sense of control. The culmination of the program is performance in professional theatres. On the completion of the program, students report improved sleep and concentration, and a reduction in nightmares and flashbacks. They also report a huge boost to their self confidence.