In 2017, ABC Radio Darwin interviewed me about my show HUMPTY DUMPTY DADDY, which I delivered at the Darwin Fringe Festival that year.
I really enjoyed the conversation with the lovely Rebecca McLaren. We spoke about the show, my father’s suicide, and how I talk to my own children about mental health.
Here’s the ABC summary and a link to listen:
JC Clapham’s fringe show Humpty Dumpty Daddy is not quite stand-up, not quite TED talk. It’s something in between, which he labels ‘compassionate comedy’.
The show stands out in the festival program for candidly addressing issues of suicide, mental health and what it means to ‘be a man’.
JC was just 16 when his father took his own life; he had undiagnosed depression and almost never spoke about his challenges.
When his own mental health became an issue, JC made a vow that if he wanted the opposite outcome – to stay alive for his three kids – he was going to have to take the opposite approach and talk about it openly to anybody who wants to listen – and even some of those who don’t.
He told Rebecca McLaren about why he wrote the show, how the first three performances almost broke him, and how he talks to his children about depression.
Humpty Dumpty Daddy is part of the Darwin Fringe Festival at Hotel Darwin on Friday July 14 and Sunday July 16.
If you, or someone you know, needs support and someone to talk to call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or Mensline 1300 789 978