Aussie actor John Wood to deliver Beaufort mental health message in laughs

Gold Logie winning actor John Wood said the key message Carpe Diem aimed to deliver was for men to talk – and when you find a friend you can freely talk to, you were on to a winner.

The play deals with issues of health, grief, loss and depression but Wood said in what was an important piece of theatre, Carpe Diem was a comedy and not heavy-going at all. There were a lot of laughs, which helped to make a strong point about the importance of mateship and care in times of crisis.

“The show works best with audiences of 100 to 150 people, and particularly in small towns,” Wood said. “We’ve had a couple of wonderful experiences in small towns. There was one where a man messaged us to say he went and knocked on his mate’s door the next morning, at 7am, just to see how he was and have a chat...Audience reactions have been different in all sorts of towns.”

Wood does not know Beaufort that well. He has driven through plenty of times on his way to Adelaide, but Wood said such towns were where such a play was often most needed.

Pyrenees Art Council will present Carpe Diem at the Beaufort Shire hall in partnership with the township’s Bendigo Bank, Apex club, Rotary club, Country Women’s Association, Beaufort and Skipton Health Service and Pyrenees Shire. 

Wood, supported by actor and Lifeline Albury counsellor Chris Pidd, host a question and answer session after.

Pidd is well-versed in helping with questions but for many, Wood is like an old friend many feel they know from old favourites like Blue Heelers or Rafferty’s Rules. They can feel more comfortable to start opening up.

Wood was not exactly sure what first drew him to the Megan Rigoni play. In their travels, the play has evolved and changed shape in a way Wood felt many people could relate to.

The show has been all over New England and the Riverina and has started to venture into organisations, including the police force where Wood said the levels of depression were quite shattering.

Personally, Wood said an actor’s life was tough. At any given time, he said, about 95 per cent of actors were out of work and often to get work, you had to be away from home a lot. Not to mention the intrusions on privacy of those who were well-known.

But Carpe Diem was a play he hoped would make a positive impact on the mental health of small communities, like Beaufort.

Carpe Diem will be appearing at Beaufort Shire Hall on October 19. Tickets are available at the Beaufort Library. Money raised supports Lifeline and R U OK?

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