Run Stand Up For Mental Health In Your City
There’s something incredibly healing about telling a comedy audience exactly who you are and having them laugh and cheer!
Having David run a Stand Up For Mental Health comedy program in your city is a great way to reach the public and fight stigma around mental health issues. The comedy also makes a great recovery vehicle for the comics.
Click here to see a video for Australia’s Dateline about what this looks like
Because this project is so unique and innovative, it’s usually quite easy to get a lot of media coverage. And if you want to get entrepreneurial, you can use the shows as a mental health comedy fundraiser to offset the costs of putting on the program.
David will train your people to do stand-up comedy routines about their mental health journeys and perform their routines at a showcase.
You’ll get to see people with mental health issues for who they truly are: funny, courageous, intelligent, and totally awesome!
Option A: David will train up to 10 mental health comics over a 12-week period.
Option B: David will train up to 6 mental health comics over a 6-week period
David runs the program via weekly virtual comedy classes. He also goes over the comic’s comedy acts and gives one-on-one coaching via phone, zoom, and email. Each student also gets the Stand Up For Mental Health workbook.
For both options David flies in to run and MC the final mental health comedy show. Another option is to have a virtual showcase.
Optional Phase Two:
There is also an optional Phase Two ongoing program. The comics continue to receive bi-monthly comedy classes and get to keep performing. Once they find out that there’s a Stand Up For Mental Health group in a given city a lot of organizations want to have them perform at various events. We’ve performed on military bases, at correctional facilities, for govt and corporations, we’re part of med school curriculums etc. It’s a great way to continue to fight stigma in a lot of different venues. This program culminates is a graduation showcase that David flies in to run and MC. Another option is to have a virtual mental health comedy show grad.
Click here for info on running SMH in your city or to book a show
Your Stand Up For Mental Health training and show totally exceeded our expectations! It was amazing to watch the process as our people developed their acts and then after 12 weeks got up on stage, did a hilarious show, and got a standing ovation. The comedy you did as you ran the show was incredibly funny and your closing statement nailed the spirit and intent of the show. What an extremely inspiring event! We look forward to working with you again and again.
Debra Jorgensen, Chief Administrative Officer, Recovery Empowerment Network, Phoenix, Arizona
We were amazed at how great your Stand Up For Mental Health presentation was. I heard our former Board chair say that this was “the most effective anti-stigma event she’s ever seen”!! Lots of kudos! The comics you trained performed wonderfully, and were thrilled with their time on stage. We also had a great turnout, obviously there was a lot of interest in your program.
Deborah Warren, LCSW, DCSW, Director, Child, Family, & Prevention Services Alexandria Community Services Board
Thanks for the great job you did training our people to be stand-up comics. The show itself was amazing, the comic’s acts were fabulous and so was the standing ovation they received at the end of the show. We already have people who say they want to do the class next year!
Jacqueline Holmes, Jennifer Dingwall, Crossroads Clubhouse, Sydney, Nova Scotia
Your Stand Up For Mental Health was a huge hit at our conference! The prolonged standing ovation said it all. You were all hilarious, and the fact that you were able to train the comics in only 6-weeks via Skype is amazing. Afterwards people were raving about your show. What a great way to begin our conference on a high while also addressing some serious issues around mental health!
Danette Castle, Executive Director, Texas Council of Community Centers
For the second year in a row the show you did for us was a great success. The comics you trained all did a great job, and you were hilarious too. Thanks for helping us to fight stigma in our community with laughter and fun.
Jill Dennison, Regional Lead – Western Region, Schizophrenia Society of Ontario
It’s been great to have you train our people to be comics for the third year in a row. Your program is wonderful, and we’re so impressed by the work you do. Your comedy training makes a huge difference in peoples lives. We’ve seen so much growth in the comics you trained. Plus the shows are always hilarious, and you folks always get a standing ovation. We are looking forward to working with you again.
John Wuest, MA, Director, The Living Room @ Call for Help Inc., Belleville, IL
Thanks David! You and the comics you trained for us rocked the night! Thank you for allowing us to see your vulnerable selves and laughing with us as we explored the many side of mental health. At Art Spark, we work to create inclusive communities, and last night, we had an entire community of folks supporting you in your work.
Celia Hughes, Executive Director, Artspark Texas
Working with Stand Up For Mental Health was a great experience all around. Seeing the development of our comics from a shy, uncertain start to the huge grins as they received a standing ovation was incredibly memorable. We’ll all remember this show for years to come. Thanks for your amazing work!
Ruth Schwendinger, Huron Behavioral Health, Bad Axe, Michigan
David is an amazing comedian, comedy coach and advocate and we so enjoyed our participation with Stand Up for Mental Health! He did a great job training our local “comedians” to have a seamless stand up comedy routine that was well received by the audience. I watched our local participants go from being anxious and nervous, to being real stand up comics. It was an incredible transformation! The show was fabulous, the audience had a great time, and it was a fun way to counter stigma. These are serious issues and using humor to talk about them allows people to think about them in a different way. We would definitely love to work with David in the future!
Sandy Baiocco, Executive Director, The Center for HOPE, Idaho Falls, Idaho
I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a long, long time. You were all wonderful. David you are a special talent. I received two requests last night to bring the show on the road! So, Let me know your jacket sizes for your NAMI tour jackets! Thank you all for your time and energy. You all made a huge impact in reducing stigma last night. I heard nothing but wonderful praise and comments.
Kimberley Knake, Executive Director, NAMI Metro Suburban, Chicago, IL.