Following the fires that ripped through Victoria in 2003, the playwright spent months listening to the stories of survival from those on the front line.

The result, Embers, is a two hour awe-inspiring tale of survival, courage and the power of the human spirit.

"It was a privilege to hear the stories really, it was a bit hard at the start because we didn't know if people would want to talk.

"But what we found was that people would say they didn't have much to say, but then we would talk with them for about two hours and hear some amazing stories."

Overall, Decent visited between 15-20 townships affected by the fires and spoke with those on the fire-front including CFA members, Department of Sustainability and Environment workers, farmers, ecologists, teachers, children and social workers.

One of the stories that has stayed in Decent's mind is that of a wildlife carer who lived in the heart of a forest near Yackandandah.

"She lived with the animals so when I went to speak with her I was surrounded by them. I can still remember sitting there and her telling me how she escaped the fires by hiding in a mineshaft on her property with all of the animals. Just amazing.

"Another one that was quite moving was a firefighting captain who had about 30 years' experience and he told me his story with tears rolling down his face.

"He was this typical bush bloke who wouldn't normally show his emotions. So that made me realise just how raw it was for them to talk about."

With about 75 interviews on tape and over 500 page of transcripts the challenge was to condense it all into two hours of theatre.

Decent worked closely with the community, often hosting reference groups to share his ideas.

"It was very important to me that there was community authenticity. These people entrusted me with their stories so I had to get it right.

"A big part of the story is that people had different points of view on why it happened and how it happened. It was important to reflect that in the story."

He says he is yet to understand the impact Embers will have on audiences following the Black Saturday fires.

"I don't know if it is more relevant or less relevant now. It is still a very personal thing, everyone will bring their own experiences so I think that makes the story universal and something that will resonate with people."

Embers is on at 8pm, August 15 at the Drum Theatre, Dandenong.

Tickets: adult $35, concession $31 and members $29. Bookings: 9771 6666 or www.drumtheatre.com.au