voxy.co.nz-To appear on stage in front of a packed audience is nerve racking for most, but imagine if you had Tourette syndrome and you couldn’t control your twitching muscles. Plenty would want to run and hide, but not Paul Barrett - he embraces the spotlight.
The 57-year-old actor, musical director and comedian is centre stage again as a finalist in the Artistic Achievement category in the 2014 national Attitude Awards, which celebrates the achievements of disabled Kiwis.
Passionate about acting from a young age, the St Helier’s resident made his professional debut at Wellington’s Circa Theatre in 1980. Since then Paul has appeared in 150 theatrical productions in New Zealand, Australia and Britain. He’s also musically directing around 30 productions, had numerous film and television credits and has voiced more than 1500 television and radio commercials.
Paul says learning to control his tics and accepting his condition has been key to successfully merging his disability and career.
"If you’re a performer you have to start from total stillness and relaxation and that is the very thing you don’t have if you have Tourettes," he says. "It’s much better now, but the first time I got a lead in a commercial in the late 90’s I felt an unbearable self-consciousness."
In 2011 Paul played himself in his solo show Tic Tic at the Auckland International Comedy Festival, which he based around his challenges of living with Tourette syndrome. He is currently touring the country with the production of Oklahoma!
Paul will find out if he’ll take the stage as an Attitude Award winner at a black tie gala on World Disability Day, December 3 at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre.
Attitude Awards Trustee Dan Buckingham, a member of the elite national wheelchair rugby team the Wheel Blacks, says: "This is the seventh awards and it’s always such an exciting time for everyone at Attitude Pictures because we find out who the finalists are. We have started travelling the country to film the finalists and even though this is the seventh year their stories continue to amaze us."
Dan encourages everyone to visit AttitudeLive.com, an innovative web platform created by Attitude Pictures, in early November to see the short films about the finalists and to vote for the person most deserving of the coveted ‘People’s Choice Award.’
There are eight categories in the Attitude Awards: Sport Performer of the Year, Courage in
Sport, Artistic Achievement, Youth, Spirit of Attitude, Attitude ACC Employer Award, Making a Difference Award and the inaugural Attitude Junior Award, for an achiever under 15 years of age. The overall winner of the Attitude ACC Supreme Award is selected from the category winners and a People’s Choice winner and a Hall of Fame inductee are also announced on the night.
Chief Executive of ACC Scott Pickering says ACC is proud to be principal sponsor of the awards for the seventh year, including sponsorship of the Attitude ACC Employer Award and the Attitude ACC Supreme Award.
"I'm really looking forward to this year's Attitude Awards, which are a significant event on New Zealand's calendar. Through celebrating excellence in the disability community and the important contributions made by New Zealanders with disabilities, the awards have the power to shift perceptions and to enhance lives."
The Artistic Achievement award is sponsored by the IHC Foundation. Other sponsors supporting the awards include: Invacare, Barfoot and Thompson, Westpac, Drake Medox, Ministry of Health, Air New Zealand and Wayne Francis Charitable Trust.
The Attitude Awards are inspired by the positive stories shown weekly on TV One’s "Attitude" programme, which screens at 8:30am on Sundays.
For tickets to the Attitude Awards gala evening on Dec 3 contact Sue Wales-Earl at sue@attitudeawards.org or phone 09 377 6280.
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