Goody: Suicide Survival Program
Far from the conventional one-man show, this multimedia performance presents Jay Nog (writer) against the back drop of a short film, documenting his visit to the deceased’s resting place and culminating in a live interview with a survivor of a suicide. Each performance will introduce a different survivor, including an Iraqi war veteran. I lost my best friend, Jonathan Goodstein, to suicide in 1999: the show GOODY is a tribute to him. I tell the story of losing a loved one to suicide. Throughout the show you learn about Jon, our relationship, possible warning signs, and my feelings after losing my best friend: all the questions I have, how I have educated myself about mental health, and my thoughts on mental health today. The show gives the viewer an inside look to someone losing a loved one to suicide. The goal of the show is to spread awareness for suicide prevention and to give the viewer an in depth look on how suicide affects the loved ones around you long after you’re gone. My target audience for this show are college students. Suicide rates are increasing every single year and not enough is done to educate young people. My show gives you an inside look of how suicide impacts young adults, and that speaking about your feelings and asking for help is something courageous and brave, not cowardly. After every performance I sat down with a suicide survivor/someone who had a personal experience with suicide for a fifteen minute interview to drive the impact further home (LGBTQ member, Army Veteran, etc).