Audrey O’Connor set to blaze a trail as a lead actor with Down syndrome

Audrey O’Connor has always believed she can do anything — and now the 31-year-old, who has Down syndrome, will prove it by taking the lead role in a theatrical production.

Audrey O’Connor has been rehearsing six hours a day for her stage debut. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Audrey O’Connor didn’t know she was “different”’ until she was 17. Because she had always attended mainstream schools, it wasn’t until she visited a school for students with Down syndrome that she realised she had it too.

She has always believed she can do anything — and now the 31-year-old will prove it by taking the lead role in the theatrical production of Jellyfish for the New Theatre.

It will be one of the first times an actor with Down syndrome has played the lead on a Sydney stage.

“I feel that everyone has a right to believe in themselves and doing this play has given me confidence, it has really changed my life,” she said.

“To people with disabilities, I would say ‘you can do it – you have the power to follow your dreams, because it always leads to success’.”

Audrey O’Connor is taking the lead role in a Sydney play called Jellyfish. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

O’Connor is a proud ambassador for Human Rights Australia’s IncludeAbility and Bus Stop Films.

Jellyfish director Deborah Jones cast O’Connor to play Kelly, a character with Down syndrome.

Young Audrey attended mainstream schools. Picture: Supplied

“I’m an actor too and three years ago I was in a feature film with Audrey, so when I was approached to direct Jellyfish, I couldn’t say yes until I’d secured an actor — and I knew it had to be Audrey,” Jones said.

“For me, Audrey is not acting when she’s on stage — she’s just playing each moment as a real moment in her life, so it’s also relatable for her, because she’s living it and she believes it, which is what we all strive for as actors.

“We’ve not seen anyone with Down syndrome on stage in Sydney either, and I think that Audrey realises that she is one of the first, and is really putting it out there for people to see that people with Down syndrome can act.

“What jumped off the page for me was the beautiful love story between Kelly and Agnes, who are mother and daughter, and I think what Audrey really identifies with right throughout this rehearsal is that it’s like her and her mum on stage.”

So much so, that O’Connor was inspired to gave her parents a thankyou card.

“I actually really thank my parents for everything that they’ve done for me, because this play feels half-real for me — because I was born to be different,” she said.

“I want people to understand that our disability does not define who we are. So, take a walk in my shoes and understand that we all belong in this world.

“I went to mainstream schools and I didn’t know at the time that I had a disability.

“My parents told me when I was eight years old, but I didn’t know what it was exactly.

“When I was 17 I realised I had a disability.

“It feels good to be doing this play because I know I might have been around people with disabilities, but I didn’t notice them to be different.”

For her big debut, she’s been rehearsing six hours a day, and said her mum was a great partner to run lines with.

“I’m really excited of course, but I’m a little bit nervous too,” O’Connor said.

“It’s been in my wildest dreams to be in a theatre production that has a script – because when I go and see theatre shows, I’m sitting there and in my mind I’m thinking: ‘I want to be up there’ and now I will be.”

Written by Ben Weatherill, Jellyfish plays at the New Theatre, Newtown, from June 6 to July 1.

Originally published as Audrey O’Connor set to blaze a trail as a lead actor with Down syndrome