I’m not alright: An Interview with Daley King

Originally published on Avenoir Magazine, in February 2016.

“One in every six Australians experience depression at some point in their lives. But what goes on within?”

Created and performed by Daley King, I’m not alright explores what it’s like to be depressed, told from the perspective of someone contemplating suicide. Through the use of puppetry, jazz music and incredible storytelling I’m not alright gives light to a topic not often given the spotlight.

We had the opportunity to speak with Daley King about his experiences with Fringe World, the inspiration for his performance, and his plans for the future.

“I’ve performed in various shows over the past three years of Fringe World, but only premiered my own material last year with a Summer Night’s show called Death Stole My Dad.”

For I’m not alright, King drew from his own experiences with depression and suicide.

“I wanted to explore what goes through your mind as you stand on the brink; all these stories and experiences come rushing back to you. I’m somewhat better now after a period of recovery and getting my life back on track, and wanted to combine something that changed my life, and something that I love, that is, the arts.”

But with something that hits this close to home, there can be a fair few obstacles and challenges to overcome.

“To an extent, there is a danger of reopening old wounds, but I think it’s very healthy to talk about, especially to a large audience. There were lonely moments writing the show, but I just kept charging forward and constantly sought support, advice and brutal honesty from those around me at the time.”

“There is also the challenge of truly representing mental illness on stage, however, as it’s my own personal story, as long as I do justice to it, I think the audience will appreciate it.”

For I’m not alright King portrayed not just his experiences with depression, but also the experiences of others, to help create a well-rounded idea of how depression can affect everyone differently.

“Many of the experiences that other people talk to me about have been mashed with my own to create the stories I tell in the show. There may be people in Perth who I know who recognise themselves in a small part of any given story. I don’t reference anybody specifically, I just needed to tell these stories as honestly as possible from my own perspective.”

An interesting aspect of the show is that King uses a puppet as a representation and extension of himself.

“I was diagnosed with mild bipolar disorder a few months before I started writing the show, and I wanted to represent the other side of me, the depressed to my manic. It had to be me though, and I thought an interesting way to portray the other side of me, was to literally have another me.”

“I’ve not done a huge amount of puppetry work before this, I’ve done a lot of object-based puppetry and theatre, but nothing with a mouth and arms. The puppet doesn’t hugely influence the performance, in a way, it’s there to help me work through the stories and experiences the voice that was in my head.”

But mostly King just wants the audience to experience and hear an honest account of depression, and what it’s like to experience it.

“I had a man and his son come visit my show, in Melbourne Fringe, I performed to the two of them. After the performance, the man came up to me, and simply said ‘thank you, I understand him a little better.’”

What can we expect from King next? He’s currently finishing the script titled TANK, which explores the lives of four fish in a tank who have to deal with a sudden change in their environment, forcing them to take extreme action.

“I’m looking to directly reflect humanity and how we’re currently dealing with issues such as climate change and overpopulation.

I’m also working on a performance project called After Dark which is loosely based on the book of the same name by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. But it explores all the weird, cool, and scary things that happen after dark on the streets of Perth. It’s based on my own experiences going on walks between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.”

Following the show’s successful run at Melbourne Fringe in 2015, I’m not alright is ready for its performance at FRINGE WORLD 2016, with plans for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year.