The people who will get on stage at Hothouse Theatre on Friday night aren't acting out a story about mental health; they're living it.
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Kelly Bayley, Ben Pearson and Sarah Sewell became involved in the Gateway Health Listening to Voices project to share their experiences of childhood trauma and hearing voices.
In a scene of the show, the group raise questions they've been asked, like 'How many times a week do you have unusual thinking?'
"It's a pretty common experience to have to fill out these forms and tick where you fit into the expectation of the mental illness," Mr Pearson said.
"You get pretty good at telling people what they want to hear."
It 'Makes you feel like you don't matter, Ms Bayley said, who has been involved in the Listening to Voices initiative since the first performance in 2016.
"I wouldn't say I'm always comfortable with it [performing], but I know the show makes a difference for other people," she said.
"Getting a better understanding of my experience, I've felt really lucky."
Project manager Kate Fiske said the performance asked 'What has happened to you?' instead of 'What's wrong with you?'
"It's a critical reflection of our current mental health service provision," she said.
"But it's also about the need for a wider understanding of human experience and less categorising, less calling things illnesses.
"Everybody has a story to tell."
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Artistic director Catherine Simmonds has helped translate their stories into theatre.
"They speak their truth and that gives courage to others to open up," she said.
"A lot of parents and people who are carers have said, 'I'm going to go home now and have a conversation with my daughter, son, sister'.
"People make verbatim theatre - they get stories but have actors - whereas this is about people acting their own stories."
Since early 2016, Listening to Voices have presented more than 20 performances across Victoria and NSW and their work was recognised with a Victorian Health Minister's volunteer award for supporting diversity.
Ms Sewell attended the awards in May.
"We were told we were on the short list and those in the top five went to the awards, and it wasn't until they called names out we went, OK, we won," she said.
Listening to Voices is showing at 6.30pm on October 4 - tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.hothousetheatre.com.au.
