NO FEELING IS FINAL

CREATIVE RATIONALE

As I packed my bag for the psychiatric hospital, I was faced with a dilemma: should I pack my vibrator? 

If you're admitting yourself because you’re suicidal, surely you should pack things that bring you joy? On the other hand, I was sure my bag was going to be searched. 

Embarrassment wasn't the issue; I was worried that packing a vibrator would make them think “Well, she can't be that fucked up.” Or maybe they'd make a note: “Brought vibrator to hospital. This chick is a whole other level of crazy.”

No Feeling Is Final is an experimental performance memoir designed as a deeply intimate and unprecedented insight into the lived experience of chronic suicidality. Featuring years of Honor’s own audio diaries, it takes us inside the psychiatric hospital, into the world of 3am panic attacks and suicide call back services, but never without a wink and a nod to the dark humour of these places. 

This live theatre show, based on the critically-acclaimed ABC podcast series of the same name, is a genre-busting, interdisciplinary mash of music, theatre, lighting design, video and sound design, creating a distinct theatrical language where multiple realities collide: live performance weaves through years of archived audio diaries, a faux stand-up routine about psych hospital dissolves into raw confession, a pop banger about medication efficacy transforms into voyeuristic phone calls between friends searching for answers.

Think This Is Going To Hurt from the other side of the nurse’s station, with the gut-punching magical realism of Maid and the self-deprecating, quick-cut jokes of Bo Burnham’s Inside. This show will flip your understanding of what we think mental illness actually is, and what “help” is and how to find it.

BUILDING ON CREATIVE EXCELLENCE

INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR THE ORIGINAL PODCAST SERIES

“Mental health explored like never before” - The Financial Times

“Something rare” - TIME Magazine

“Darkly funny” - The New York Times

“Something extraordinary” - The Atlantic

“Impressive, bruising and tender storytelling” - Benjamin Law

Named on “best podcast of the year” lists by The Atlantic, New York Times, TIME, and The Financial Times

Winner: International Third Coast Director’s Choice Award, widely regarded as the “Oscars for Podcasts”

PROVEN LIVE POTENTIAL

• Development showing sold out 600-seat venue, first sold-out show at The Capitol since the pandemic and only sold-out event at The Big Anxiety Festival 2022

• Complex multimedia integration of over 650+ audio, lighting and video cues in the show

• Strong institutional support with the version presented at The Big Anxiety Festival supported by City of Melbourne Arts Grants, the RMIT Capitol Innovation Fund and The Big Anxiety Festival

• Existing interest to tour to WA Museum Boola Bardip, with established producer on board to subsequent strategic applications to Creative Australia and philanthropies to support national tour

STRONG INDUSTRY ENDORSEMENT FOR LIVE VERSION

“No Feeling is Final is beyond brave and a performance WA audiences deserve to experience."
- WA Museum Boola Bardip

"I was transfixed by her incredible performance… I hope this new version will be able to be seen by many more Australians who need it."
- Prof Patrick McGorry, Australian of the Year and Mental Health Advocate

"A groundbreaking performance memoir… welcoming The Capitol’s first sold-out audience since the pandemic”
- Paula Toal, Head of RMIT Culture

“The show was a testament to not only her incredible skills as a creator with a truly visionary approach, but to the entire creative team”
- Jacinta Di Mase, Literary Agent to Clementine Ford, Tracey Spicer, Jane Caro

CREATIVE TEAM

HONOR EASTLY
CREATIVE LEAD

Honor Eastly is a multidisciplinary Australian artist, writer, podcaster, and professional feeler of feelings. Her creative work has been described as “darkly funny” (by The New York Times) “total magic” (by The Atlantic), and “something rare” (TIME).

In 2021 she was named the winner of the Australian Mental Heath Prize, Australia’s top mental health award, for her creative and advocacy work.

She has amassed over one million downloads and numerous awards for her podcasts and writing. She won the Third Coast Director’s Choice award for her podcast No Feeling Is Final, widely considered as the ‘Oscars of Podcasting’.

She is the co-founder of The Big Feels Club, a peer led mental health resource that has reached over one million people.

Eastly’s work has been shown at The National Gallery of Victoria, The Gallery of NSW, the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, MOD. Gallery, Science Gallery Melbourne and at sold out shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

www.honoreastly.com
Selected CV can be viewed here.

ESTABLISHED THEATRE DIRECTOR - TBC

Creative Victoria funding will enable Honor and her creative team to work with an experienced theatre director for this creative development project. Currently in negotiations, to be confirmed by May 2025.

ROB CURULLI
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST

Rob Curulli is a multidisciplinary artist working at the forefront of creative technology. His work spans interactive design, game design, sound design, lighting design and process-based audiovisual work. If it has tech in it, he probably knows how to program it.

He worked with Honor to create and program the 650+ bespoke lighting, film and sound cues for the developmental presentation to a sold-out crowd of No Feeling Is Final Live show, made especially for The Capitol Theatre.

He led composition, sound design and audio cue sequencing for APHIDS theatre production OH DEER! at RISING festival 2023 and led audio programming for Clare Milledge's installation "Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea" presented at Biennale of Sydney 2022.

As a musician he has performed with artists including Sunn O))), Clark, and Peep Tempel, and at festivals including Dark Mofo (Hobart) and Square Sounds (Melbourne/Tokyo).

He currently works at RMIT exploring boundary-pushing creative tech. His current projects include accessible, interactive sound environments, in both browser and venue installation contexts.

NIKKI CASTLE
FILMMAKER

Nikki Castle is a mid-career Melbourne-based director, with two broadcast credits on New Zealand television.

She worked with Honor to create the filmed-sequences for the No Feeling Is Final Live show.

Her short documentary film, Madness Made Me, found viral success and screened at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival.

Nikki is building on over ten years as a short and long-form offline editor and story producer, with credits on Maori TV, Food TV Canada, Channel Seven Australia, ABC and SBS.

She has also self-produced and directed countless short documentaries across mental health and social welfare not-for-profits and NGO's. Clients include Vic Gov, Austin Health, Mind Australia and New Zealand's largest philanthropic trust, Foundation North.

www.nikkicastle.com

GRAHAM PANTHER
MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE AND WRITER

Graham Panther is a mental health whizz who has set up award-winning, cutting edge services in New Zealand and Australia. He brings a wealth of expertise from the sector, as well as his own experience of profound crisis and distress.

In 2017, with Honor Eastly he set up The Big Feels Club, a peer-led, global peer support community.

Their work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and TIME, as well as The Age and the Herald Sun. Since launching on a shoe-string, we’ve had well over a million downloads of their podcasts and articles, and countless messages from club members telling us that finding Big Feels was the first time they’ve felt truly understood in their mental health.

www.bigfeels.club

FRASER ORFORD
INDEPENDENT THEATRE PRODUCER

Fraser Orford is an experienced producer specializing in touring theatre and creative development of new Australian work.

His extensive touring credits include international productions of Disney's The Lion King (Michael Cassel Group/Disney) and George Orwell's 1984 (Almeida Theatre), as well as Australian tours of Pigalle (Sydney Festival), Eddie Perfect's The Beast (GWB Entertainment), and GHOST The Musical (ATG).

Most recently, he produced the creative developments and industry showings of two new Australian musicals - Good Omens and The Dismissal (Squabbalogic). Since 2016 he has been a Curator for TEDxSydney.