LISTENING TO VOICES

On Thursday morning, all Congress delegates are invited to attend the Listening to Voices performance taking place in Plenary 3.

This is theatre with purpose. It is education with heart. And it offers something urgently needed: understanding, connection, and hope.

Through performance and film, Listening to Voices Theatre offers rare insight that stays with audiences long after the performers leave the room. Each work is an unforgettable emotional journey into the lived experiences of those on stage—inviting deep empathy through stories of trauma, emotional distress, encounters with the psychiatric system, learning to heal, and understanding voice-hearing in new and humane ways. These are narratives of recovery, resilience, and reclaiming identity beyond labels or diagnoses.

Audiences consistently describe the experience as profoundly moving, often saying the learning “cannot be found in a textbook.” These are not stories about people with mental illness; they are stories told by those who live it, shared with courage, honesty, and humanity. The impact resonates deeply with health professionals, students, and community members alike—offering inspiration and renewed hope.

Based in Wodonga, Victoria, Listening to Voices is a highly regarded grassroots theatre project that places lived experience at the centre of education and community change. A recipient of the Victorian Minister for Health Awards, the group has toured nationally and co-produced innovative resources for mental health education. Their work reaches classrooms, conferences, boardrooms, and communities—opening conversations that are often silenced and changing how mental health is understood.

For further information, please visit the Listening to Voices website.