Jude Perl - I Have a Face

An honest and hilarious discussion of mental health with a theatrical twist.

"One of the most genuine, honest feeling performers going around" - Theatre People

Ever wondered if you’re doing it right? Well did you read the label? Life didn’t come with a label, but you will be told your whole life how you should behave or who you should be. You will be told that if you have a problem, there’s a quick fix you can buy… but somehow the problem doesn’t ever seem to really go away. Jude Perl’s insight into her personal and relatable mental health struggles of being an adult, will make you want to sing along, cry and laugh all at once.

When it comes to labels, Jude Perl’s career has been put through the wringer. For years, an aspiring indie-pop- singer-songwriter, Jude was repeatedly told that she and her music were not ‘sexy’ or ‘edgy’ enough, and that she couldn’t use abrasive lyrics like ‘pimples’ or ‘lobsters wearing Calvin Klein’ or ‘appropriated Eastern Philosophy’. Undeterred, Jude focused her energy on a comedy career. The career change seemed to work well, but while Jude tried her best to write light-hearted and relatable material, the subject matter of mental health would always sneak into her songs and stand up, without Jude even realising. It was and is such a big part of her life. So after 4 solo comedy shows, Jude wanted to write a show and talk very candidly about the experience that she, and so many others, have. She wanted it to be funny and serious, and wanted the audience to feel comfortable to laugh or not laugh as much as they wanted. She didn’t want it to be just music, or just comedy. She just wanted it to be honest. And she didn’t want people to feel pressure to put the show into a category, to label it.

Sometimes labels are super useful, particularly when you’re washing your fave jumper. But at other times, labels can halt your growth and supress you’re very existence. Jude reminds us when to be aware of these labels, and when the labels are totally useless – and most importantly, that we are not alone. She’ll talk about some tough stuff, make you laugh and make you feel truly human.

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