Join the World Mental Health Day Celebrations which are taking place at the Science Museum on Saturday 9 October from 1-6pm. Click here to view the flyer (requires Adobe Reader).

The day will also feature Cracking Up, the comedy production with John Ryan. Only 100 tickets are available.

Click here to view the flyer for the World Mental Health Day.

A comedy show that raises the lid on mental well-being and proves that laughter really is the best medicine.

This successful and popular show helps to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health and suicide, using a sensitive (and experience-based) mix of sketches and stand-up comedy.  Award winning comedian and host John Ryan, is joined by fellow comedian Gareth Berliner and actors from Box Clever Theatre, to take a light hearted yet touching look at when life gives you a bit of a kicking.

Cracking Up! uses an innovative approach to address an issue that people find difficult to talk about even though it affects so many of us: 1 in 4 adults experience a common mental health problem such as depression or anxiety at some point in their lives. This show helps open the door for people to talk about and seek help if they experience problems, both through the storyline of the two engaging characters in the sketches, and through information about local services that people can take away.

Audience Reactions

Cracking Up has toured packed theatres in Surrey (Guildford, Leatherhead, Epsom, Redhill) and London venues, receiving overwhelmingly positive reactions from audiences of 600+:

“Excellent show, very funny and thought provoking - a difficult subject covered very well”

“Topical and sensitive, but funny, effectively highlights issues around mental health. Everyone should see this!”            “Very, very entertaining – a triumph!”

Professional Stand-Up John Ryan says: “Comedy is a great way of tackling issues that people may not ordinarily want to talk about. I know from shows I’ve done in the past around men’s health in general that they are able to laugh at themselves and recognise that they could be a lot better at asking for help.”

Producer and Project Lead Maya Twardzicki says: “We are so pleased this innovative approach is working well. People who have seen the show have left not only laughing and happy, but also talking about mental health and having picked up leaflets about local services”

Show

The show (developed by NHS Surrey) has been performed in 4 Surrey theatres and 3 London comedy venues, including the Bernie Grant Centre as commissioned by Haringey New Deal Communities.  Papers about the show have been presented at the UK Public Health Association and Capita’s Improving Adult Mental Health national conferences and at seminars at Nottingham and Canterbury Christ Church Universities. The show has also been filmed by the BBC and features in their website health section http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8329828.stm

How Cracking Up! Can Help Promote Mental Health in your PCT:

• § It can help raise awareness of your local mental health services - by incorporating the names into the script and having leaflets available at the end of the show
• It can help implement key policy recommendations in Choosing Health, the Mental Health National Service Framework, New Horizons and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
• It can promote social inclusion – by including mental health client poetry/artwork in the show