By Karen Cobban
In 1995, our family moved to Thirroul. It was a great decision to move here, not only for the beautiful environment to bring up our children but for the wonderful sense of community.
I am an actor, playwright and have recently begun upskilling in the areas of direction and production.
In 2022, I was working as part of a small Illawarra-based ensemble, called Smelter.
We were employed to create a performance read for the launch of a beautiful book of poems, called KEMBLA The Book of Voices by Conal Fitzpatrick, for the centenary commemorations of the Mt Kembla Mine Disaster Mine of 1902.
Being a history buff, I couldn’t understand why I was so unaware of such an important historical event. The largest mine disaster to date in Australia’s history. The effects of which were not only felt through this small community and across the country but also the world.
So began my fascination with the events and stories surrounding the disaster, and the birth of a verbatim-based play, called 96 Candles. A play born from the words of survivors, their families and others caught up in the events of that fateful day.
The project began in 2011, as part of the Merrigong Theatre Development programme.
In 2019, with the help of a Small Cultural Grant from Wollongong City Council, I was able to produce a performance read of 96 Candles, as part of the commemorations for the disaster in Mt Kembla. I was able to achieve this with the help of a wonderfully talented cast of Illawarra based creatives and technical team, under the umbrella of my production name, Kaz Productions.
The purpose of the performance read was to take the play to the community for feedback. We received wonderful audience feedback.
In 2021, I received a grant from Arts on Tour, to further develop the script, based on feedback from the 2019 performance read and to upskill as a producer.
Last year, was the 120th commemoration of the disaster. I wanted to do something to mark the event and so I decided to record 96 Candles as a radio-play, with the aim to publish as a podcast on a variety of online sites. I was able to achieve this with the help of another WCC Small Cultural Grant, along with my wonderful cast and technical team.
We encountered a few difficulties along the way, due to Covid, among other issues but we succeeded and 96 Candles, the podcast play is now available on Audible, Apple and Spotify.
I am forever grateful for the generosity of all who have supported 96 Candles.
If you’d like to have a listen, here are the following links:
