Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Friday, March 05, 2021
Comedians, Poets Confront Seasonal Depression With 'Sadapalooza'
90.5 WESA: Did you hear the one about winters in Olympia, Washington? They’re even longer, and grayer, than the ones in Pittsburgh!
So attests Rachel Greene, a Pittsburgh native who relocated to Olympia for college and spent eight years in the Pacific Northwest.
My favorite thing about this article was the name “Sadapalooza”, it was very creative and humorous even though it’s supposed to be a mostly serious event. . I really like the idea of “celebrating” seasonal depression or at least giving a space for seasonal depression art. It such a common thing in places with little sun like where I grew up in Oregon. Even more so as you travel north to places with limited daytime like Alaska . During the winter we don’t get enough vitamin D, especially if we spend most of the rest Of the year indoors. I wish they had given us an example of a poem shared. I don’t really get these articles that say “this thing happened” but doesn’t give us anymore than that. It was cool that a bunch of Pittsburgh natives joining in remotely. It is a cool that everything is remote friendly now in a way because it’s normal now to just zoom in people we know and participate in things going on on the other side of the country.
I love this really creative concept for an event. Using humor as a coping mechanism is a great way to navigate depression, so I think that setting up an event like this will be beneficial for a lot of people. The comedians presenting will be able to have a platform to share how they feel, and the audience will have a space that resembles a community of people. The best part in my eyes is the name “Sadapalooza”, it’s a fun title that opens up a needed discussion on different ways we can deal with our emotions. I also find it wonderful that the profits from ticket sales will be donated to various organizations. I always enjoy it when there are spaces to talk about things that are often overlooked, in this case like mental illness. Rachel Greene – one of the comedians – adds a note near the end that I think describes why this matters: “Just acknowledging that we are full complex human beings with a range of feelings is really important”
I really like the fact that several comedians and poets have come together to talk about seasonal depression. I think it’s a great idea to take the struggles that we all may be going through or relate to in some way and hold them in a semi-positive light. I really like the way Greene said “just because you might be depressed doesn’t mean you can’t laugh about things. And just because you’re laughing about things doesn’t mean that you might not be having a hard time in some ways.” So many people around the world have their depression invalidated simply because “they don’t look sad” or “they were smiling an hour ago.” It’s important to recognize that we can all be having a horrible time in this pandemic, especially in the winter when dealing with seasonal depression, but still take time to laugh and be happy even if only for a moment.
I think the idea of this event is as creative as the name Sadapalooza, which is pretty impressive considering how great the name is. I wish I had seen this article before the event because I definitely would have been inclined to attend. I really think that humor is a great way to cope with seasonal depression and can make it a bit more bearable, especially in a city like Pittsburgh where it is gray so often. I totally agree with the sentiment that you do not even realize when you are dealing with seasonal depression until the spring comes and you realize how you were not doing well for the winter months. I think events like this that help remove the stigma around mental health and get people talking about seasonal depression are great because if you realize that you are dealing with seasonal depression you can start addressing it sooner rather than later.
This event seems like a really good way of helping both the comedians and the audience with their impending seasonal depression. Comedy is a great way to make people laugh and lift their spirits when almost everyone is feeling down, especially during a pandemic that has kept everyone inside and isolated from anyone who would normally make them feel better. I also think that raising awareness of seasonal depression is a really important thing to do. It is something that a lot of people don't take seriously even though they should. Using a fun event like Sadapalooza to bring awareness to it as well as get people out of the house and give performers a gig and a way to make some money is a fantastic idea. And Rachel Greene is absolutely correct when she described the winters in Pittsburgh as long and grey. That atmosphere is something that only adds to seasonal depression and is something that definitely needs to be de stigmatized and talked about.
The name "Sadapalooza" is absolutely sending me into orbit, I think it's hilarious. I think this is a very creative and thoughtful way to confront seasonal depression. Obviously, there is a line to walk when combining depression with comedy, and we don't want to overpower the severity and sobriety of depression with comedy, but by making space for this in such an accessible and engaging way, it opens up a channel through which people will or might be able to more meaningfully address their mental health. In other words, I would say this is a great way to open up a conversation about seasonal depression. In times like COVID times, this is even more important because study after study has shown that our mental health is more fragile than ever, heavily impacted by the pandemic. Good that such an event exists to help us through some of that.
This event is genuinely an amazing idea. Like it said in the article, the pandemic has been an extremely challenging time, especially in the mental health department. Being stuck inside most of the time, in addition to the more dreary and cold weather that we face during the winter, means that people will be all the more susceptible to seasonal depression. The beauty of this event, however, is it gives both the performers and the viewers an outlet for that sadness, since the performers can pull from their own experiences in order to help cope, and their jokes will let the viewers reflect on their own experiences and see them in a more positive light. Obviously, simply joking about or creating art based on these feelings won't get rid of them, but it opens the door to healing, a door that I can speak from experience in saying that it is difficult to open on your own. It's also an extremely creative way to bring performance back into people's lives during a time in which most forms of performance have all but stopped, renewing a sense of culture and creation that many people might be missing.
You don’t understand how happy and excited I am that the sun has finally come out in Pittsburgh. Having grown up in California, I’ve never seen so many grey skies in my life and to be honest it really did have an effect on my mood and mental health. I mean I knew what I was getting into because in some of the facebook groups multiple people recommended getting a sunlamp of some kind to help in the colder months. I love the idea of Sadapalooza. In a way I think it can help people feel less alone and isolated because you can relate to other people through this darker form of comedy. I really connected with what they were saying about how we are complex beings, specifically just because you’re laughing doesn’t mean you’re not going through something difficult. We can feel so many emotions at once and we should have a space like this for those feelings.
8 comments:
My favorite thing about this article was the name “Sadapalooza”, it was very creative and humorous even though it’s supposed to be a mostly serious event. . I really like the idea of “celebrating” seasonal depression or at least giving a space for seasonal depression art. It such a common thing in places with little sun like where I grew up in Oregon. Even more so as you travel north to places with limited daytime like Alaska . During the winter we don’t get enough vitamin D, especially if we spend most of the rest Of the year indoors. I wish they had given us an example of a poem shared. I don’t really get these articles that say “this thing happened” but doesn’t give us anymore than that. It was
cool that a bunch of Pittsburgh natives joining in remotely. It is a cool that everything is remote friendly now in a way because it’s normal now to just zoom in people we know and participate in things going on on the other side of the country.
I love this really creative concept for an event. Using humor as a coping mechanism is a great way to navigate depression, so I think that setting up an event like this will be beneficial for a lot of people. The comedians presenting will be able to have a platform to share how they feel, and the audience will have a space that resembles a community of people. The best part in my eyes is the name “Sadapalooza”, it’s a fun title that opens up a needed discussion on different ways we can deal with our emotions. I also find it wonderful that the profits from ticket sales will be donated to various organizations. I always enjoy it when there are spaces to talk about things that are often overlooked, in this case like mental illness. Rachel Greene – one of the comedians – adds a note near the end that I think describes why this matters: “Just acknowledging that we are full complex human beings with a range of feelings is really important”
I really like the fact that several comedians and poets have come together to talk about seasonal depression. I think it’s a great idea to take the struggles that we all may be going through or relate to in some way and hold them in a semi-positive light. I really like the way Greene said “just because you might be depressed doesn’t mean you can’t laugh about things. And just because you’re laughing about things doesn’t mean that you might not be having a hard time in some ways.” So many people around the world have their depression invalidated simply because “they don’t look sad” or “they were smiling an hour ago.” It’s important to recognize that we can all be having a horrible time in this pandemic, especially in the winter when dealing with seasonal depression, but still take time to laugh and be happy even if only for a moment.
I think the idea of this event is as creative as the name Sadapalooza, which is pretty impressive considering how great the name is. I wish I had seen this article before the event because I definitely would have been inclined to attend. I really think that humor is a great way to cope with seasonal depression and can make it a bit more bearable, especially in a city like Pittsburgh where it is gray so often. I totally agree with the sentiment that you do not even realize when you are dealing with seasonal depression until the spring comes and you realize how you were not doing well for the winter months. I think events like this that help remove the stigma around mental health and get people talking about seasonal depression are great because if you realize that you are dealing with seasonal depression you can start addressing it sooner rather than later.
This event seems like a really good way of helping both the comedians and the audience with their impending seasonal depression. Comedy is a great way to make people laugh and lift their spirits when almost everyone is feeling down, especially during a pandemic that has kept everyone inside and isolated from anyone who would normally make them feel better. I also think that raising awareness of seasonal depression is a really important thing to do. It is something that a lot of people don't take seriously even though they should. Using a fun event like Sadapalooza to bring awareness to it as well as get people out of the house and give performers a gig and a way to make some money is a fantastic idea. And Rachel Greene is absolutely correct when she described the winters in Pittsburgh as long and grey. That atmosphere is something that only adds to seasonal depression and is something that definitely needs to be de stigmatized and talked about.
The name "Sadapalooza" is absolutely sending me into orbit, I think it's hilarious. I think this is a very creative and thoughtful way to confront seasonal depression. Obviously, there is a line to walk when combining depression with comedy, and we don't want to overpower the severity and sobriety of depression with comedy, but by making space for this in such an accessible and engaging way, it opens up a channel through which people will or might be able to more meaningfully address their mental health. In other words, I would say this is a great way to open up a conversation about seasonal depression. In times like COVID times, this is even more important because study after study has shown that our mental health is more fragile than ever, heavily impacted by the pandemic. Good that such an event exists to help us through some of that.
This event is genuinely an amazing idea. Like it said in the article, the pandemic has been an extremely challenging time, especially in the mental health department. Being stuck inside most of the time, in addition to the more dreary and cold weather that we face during the winter, means that people will be all the more susceptible to seasonal depression. The beauty of this event, however, is it gives both the performers and the viewers an outlet for that sadness, since the performers can pull from their own experiences in order to help cope, and their jokes will let the viewers reflect on their own experiences and see them in a more positive light. Obviously, simply joking about or creating art based on these feelings won't get rid of them, but it opens the door to healing, a door that I can speak from experience in saying that it is difficult to open on your own. It's also an extremely creative way to bring performance back into people's lives during a time in which most forms of performance have all but stopped, renewing a sense of culture and creation that many people might be missing.
You don’t understand how happy and excited I am that the sun has finally come out in Pittsburgh. Having grown up in California, I’ve never seen so many grey skies in my life and to be honest it really did have an effect on my mood and mental health. I mean I knew what I was getting into because in some of the facebook groups multiple people recommended getting a sunlamp of some kind to help in the colder months. I love the idea of Sadapalooza. In a way I think it can help people feel less alone and isolated because you can relate to other people through this darker form of comedy. I really connected with what they were saying about how we are complex beings, specifically just because you’re laughing doesn’t mean you’re not going through something difficult. We can feel so many emotions at once and we should have a space like this for those feelings.
Post a Comment