Two Macedon Ranges residents were nominated for Australian of the Year awards for their theatre company that helps children on the autism spectrum to gain confidence.
Woodend residents Jennifer and Drew Heriot were nominated in the Local Hero category for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards for founding their New Gisborne-based organisation Full Spectrum Theatre.
The theatre helps participant gain confidence, make friends, learn new skills, and appreciate performing arts.
Co-owned by the couple, the organisation combines Ms Heriot’s skillset as an audiologist, actor, dancer and musician, with Mr Heriot’s as a director, producer and writer.
According to the Australian of the Year Awards website, the idea for the company started when Ms Heriot introduced the couple’s son, who has autism, to a theatre game, where he was fascinated that changes in facial expression could change the meaning of statements and began using what he’d learnt the next day.
Mr and Ms Heriot said that they founded the theatre with a strong sense it would be beneficial.
“There are so many parallels between the theatre stage and the world stage … for example, knowing how to keep a scene flowing by accepting and building on other people’s ideas, is an invaluable skill in everyday conversations. Knowing how to quickly change emotions as an actor is very helpful when we want to feel better in real life,” they said.
“We’re so used to shining a spotlight on the actors, that it feels foreign to have the spotlight on us … but we’re eager to share our story and open people’s minds to just how effective non-traditional approaches like this can be.”
The Australian of the Year Award recipients will be announced on January 25 next year.
Oscar Parry
