General News
16 June, 2024
Erin chasing her dreams on the big screen circuit
Erin Kearns' life is jam-packed with events and exciting projects.
At 23, she has already been in stage productions and two films.
She does a day's training each week at drama school in Geelong and is understudy for another production which could take her to Italy.
Her efforts are all the more special because Erin has Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra chromosome.
Educated at Horsham West - where mum Claudia Moretti now works as an integration aid - before attending St Brigid' College and Horsham Special School, Erin now works as a barista at The Central cafe in Roberts Avenue two days a week.
She performed in a short film titled "Baby" released last year by Melbourne's Chapter 5 Studios then shown at other short-film festivals, including Slamdance in Salt Lake City and the Ohio Film Festival.
Erin plays Mikaela, a young girl with Down syndrome who witnesses a tragic hit and run accident involving a pregnant woman, before setting in motion her life's goal to have a baby.
She also has performed in a horror film, which is in the post-production stage, and will be sold to streaming companies. In this film she plays a bystander who knows the solution to a mystery but is unable to attract anyone's attention.
"The producers were looking for someone with a disability," she said. "And I fit that sort of character."
She also is playing an understudy for two characters in another production, a stage show to be performed in Italy. But actors will have to drop before she is able to go to Italy.
Erin joined Geelong's Back to Back Theatre in 2020, and one day each week father Brian, now semi-retired, drives her to Geelong so she can train with other people who love to act, and who have a disability.
And to fill in some time gaps, she is also taking guitar lessons, goes to the gym twice a week and swims each Sunday morning.
At the opening of What About Sal? in Horsham Centre Cinemas, Erin drew the attention of Australian actor-director John Jarratt with her comments about acting.
He was so impressed he insisted on a photo with her during the Horsham launch of his latest film, which stars Gerard O'Dwyer who has Down syndrome.