A GRITTY new drama written by Poole actor and playwright Sasha Paul features the amputee whose dramatised story it portrays.

Sean Gittins, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident at the age of 18, is hoping the play One Step, to be staged at Lighthouse in April, will break down barriers.

“It’s about people understanding more about people’s disabilities,” said Sean, 44.

“That’s what I’m hoping for, for people to walk away from the play with a little bit more acceptance.”

He approached Sasha after her success with her play Someone Else’s Husband, which featured an actor with a hearing disability, and is currently about to be performed off Broadway in New York.

She agreed to write Sean’s story after learning about his life. He does casualty simulation and through specialist agency Amputees in Action has done stunts for films and helps train soldiers to save lives.

Riding pillion on a friend’s motorbike, he lost a leg and his friend lost an arm and a leg.

“He has been an inspiration for the piece,” said Sasha, who has a list of TV credits to her name. “One Step is not for the faint-hearted, but it is dealt with in a sensitive way with a positive message.”

Sean said the war in Afghanistan, where soldiers have survived horrific injuries, had made people more aware of the challenges faced by amputees. “There are some dark bits to losing a leg and dealing with it,” he said.

He works with the military and said: “I see some terrible disabilities and terrible scars. Sometimes I take a second look. It’s just basically desensitising people to it.”

Sean plays the lead role, acting alongside Sasha and her Dramatic Productions company. His brother is a soldier, but in a plot twist it is not him who loses a limb. The play, which has a 15 age restriction, will premiere at Lighthouse from April 26-30, directed by Sasha’s sister Tara Dominick.

They aim to run workshops and question and answer sessions and the play will then tour to military rehab centres around the country.