Ex St Clement Dane pupil Comedian/Presenter Jack Rooke takes his comedy-theatre show Good Grief to Bestival this month and the school plays a starring role
Jack Rooke has a coffin as his bedside table, albeit a pretty floral cardboard one.
“ It belonged to Corrie’s Hayley Cropper and came via a friend, courtesy ITV Props. It just fits nicely by my bed. The taxi driver who was asked to pick up me with a 6ft box was slightly wary when he saw it but relieved it wasn’t occupied!”
The coffin plays an essential role in Jack’s latest show Good Grief that invites audiences to the weird and wonderful world of bereavement.
“ It gets filled with sympathy snacks and sits at the front of the auditorium. I give everybody a sherbet stick and encourage them to come to look into it. Some people can’t handle it. In Britain we struggle to talk about death – we find it uncomfortable and have over 200 euphemisms for the word from passed away to six foot under.”
Through comedy, film and storytelling Good Grief encourages people to talk about grief in a positive way.
“ When I was 15 my father passed away suddenly to cancer, it’s a child’s worse nightmare, I went from having a lovely Chorleywood childhood to comfort eating and sitting on the sofa in my pants watching Loose Women – that’s the bleak reality of bereavement. And people bring lasagnes, lots of lasagnes. It was ironic that at the time my Dad died Chorleywood was reported as the happiest place in the country. I isolated myself because I felt like the only one going through that. I’ve since realised we need to stop being so awkward about death and bereavement. Humour is great at breaking down barriers and starting conversations.
I decided to get together with my Nan on Father’s Day last year to write Good Grief. The idea was that we compare her point of view on losing a son, with mine about losing a parent. We had a laugh. The show is a personal reflection so I’ve filmed things associated with my past life. Some of the footage shows Clement Danes. They supported me through it all so they are an important part of the story and the school comes up on a big screen behind me on the stage. People seem to find the show funny but hopefully it makes them think and talk about bereavement too. And they get a sherbet stick.”
The Amphitheatre, Bestival, Isle of Wight, – 10 -13 Sept emberwww.bestival.net/
