JP's time on the Feeling Funny programme...

Feeling Funny – November / December 2015

My name is John Paul Brady and I’m 39 years old. I attend Crown Resource Centre and it was my keyworkers and a volunteer there who suggested that myself and two other centre users attend the course, which tries to encourage men to confront mental health issues through stand up comedy.

At the first session, after meeting group leaders Helen, Anne and professional stand-up Sam Avery and trying some icebreaker “getting to know you” tasks with all the other group members, the first thing we learnt was just how much Radio City Tower can sway on a blowy night!

Then Sam took us through some of the key elements to learn, the methods of getting an audience on your side, working out which subjects to talk about and which not, as well what sorts of language and mannerisms are right or wrong for different audiences.

The aspect that I enjoyed most and found most valuable about Feeling Funny was the sensation of it being a sounding board, a workshop where different ideas could be thrown around and shared in a “what doesn’t work here for me might work there for you” kind of situation and hopefully some of that will continue in the future, we got on so well it’d be a shame if it didn’t.

Something else I gained was getting up to a mike and talking about things that worry me (and others) about the future, things that I would never have the nerve to speak out on without being given the chance, so thank you.

My advice to anybody who thinks they’ve got something funny to say is get writing stuff down, get it learnt and check when and where open mike nights are happening and get down there! And don’t worry, I’ve got hours and hours writing to do before you see me down there again! And once again, THANK YOU.