'Leah Cotterell could sing the shopping list and melt your heart.' (Rhythms Magazine 2002)

‘The Pleasure of Sad Songs’ is a moving musical memoir of a family living with agoraphobia, schizophrenia and dementia. As a child carer, a life-long advocate and a witness to the journeys of her mother and brother, Leah Cotterell reflects on both the painful stigma of mental illness and the joys of recovery. In an act of love she celebrates the resilience of her family even as she struggles to manage their final transition into full time care. She considers this simple definition of mental health: the ability to work and to love. In 'The Pleasure of Sad Songs' Leah reflects not only on the complexity of loving people with mental illness but also the harsh ironies of dealing with mental health systems that don't work and can't love.

Leah's singing balances sorrow with beauty. Through humour and a treasury of nostalgic family images Leah evokes a grace never lost, even in the midst of trauma.

The 80-minute performance has solo accompaniment and projected movies and images. Leah also gives presentations in mental health contexts.

Leah's interview with ABC's Sarah Kanowski: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/07/24/4280008.htm

Venue Format
Theatre, Hall, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
D, The production can be modified to suit most venues
Touring Party
Touring party of 3 - 1 Performer/singer; 1 Accompanist; 1 Technician/LX and Audio Operator
Considerations

This performance requires either a quality projection system or a large format TV Monitor in order to project 20 stills and 10 movies.

The sound requirements are for high quality vocal PA. The pianist will travel with an electronic keyboard, but a tuned quality piano is always preferred. A small vocal PA can be carried on tour as a contingency.

Lighting states can be very simple: 4-5 specials and 3-4 general states.

Leah Cotterell produces and tours music based performances that bring together great singers and musicians, social and personal histories, spoken word and media. From 'Foolish Things' (Queensland Music Festival 2003) to 'Whoa Tilly!' (Sydney Children's Festival 2010) and 'Little Birung' (Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair 2010) these works have been the result of fruitful artistic collaborations. Leah's most recent collaboration has been 'The Primitif Requests...' celebrating the famous Coffee Lounge that was the centre of Brisbane's modern jazz scene in the late 50s. These works have been supported by all levels of Government with funding of of over $251,623.

In 'The Pleasure of Sad Songs', Leah tells her own stories of caring for family members living with serious mental illnesses. With solo accompaniment and an evocative projection, this is the major output of Leah's Masters of Music Research at Queensland Conservatorium. This work was remounted for sell out performances at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in 2016. Listen to Leah's interview of ABC Radio: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/07/24/4280008.htm

'The Pleasure of Sad Songs' will be extended into a series of forums with community, students and mental health sector workers in 2016 in collaboration with mental health professional, Helena Roennfeldt.

Company Website
leahcotterell.com.au

Unique Selling Point

By balancing her stories with humour, music and nostalgic images, this performance presents a chance to explore challenging emotions in a safe environment. That is 'The Pleasure of Sad Songs'.

The performance has been very successful with both general and tightly focussed audiences. An excerpt was a hit with a sold out audience at QPAC's Concert Hall, it held the audience at Woodford Festival, sold out at the Judith Wright Centre and has been hailed as a unique offering in mental health and carer forums.

Marketing Materials

Marketing assets: Production photos, portraits, graphic design elements, Audience and presenter testimonials

Media assets: ABC Radio Interview podcasthttp://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/07/24/4280008.htm) Interviews and profiles from 2016 Courier Mail and Scenstr publications Links to YouTube clips at http://www.leahcotterell.com.au/the-pleasure-of-sad-songs

Community Engagement

Questions and Answer sessions at each performance are available, as is a dedicated email address for audience engagement.

Workshops are available based on the exploration of lived experience, facilitated by an exceptional artist developed with mental health professional, Helena Roennfeldt. The performance has been recognised as valuable for advocacy and anti-stigma messaging by mental health and carer organisations leading to presentations in Mental Health and Carer's week in 2015 and 2016. Leah has spoken about her story to school groups, TAFE educators and workers, Family Carers and Mental Health consumer groups.

An excellent example of community engagement is a workshop presented for TAFE educators (Conference presentation January 2016) assisting participants to better understand and support students who are managing mental health challenges.