CINCINNATI — Sammy Mcmillan is wearing a "Step Brothers" hat.
Growing up, his friends used to buy Van Halen and Guns N’ Roses cassettes. But he wasn't interested in that. Mcmillan listened to all the George Carlin and Robin Williams tapes he could get his hands on. In the lobby of the Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services building, Mcmillan tells me he works as a peer recovery supporter.
That means he’s had his own experiences with mental health issues — issues he tells me he suffered through in silence for more than two decades.
“I had lost my mind. I lost my sanity — my dignity,” Mcmillan said. “And I finally hit rock bottom.”
Now, it’s all part of a stand-up routine he’s working on. Something he never thought he’d be able to do. Something he’ll perform at the Woodward Theater. It’s part of a talent show, but this isn’t your normal talent show.
Because everything is performed by artists living with a mental health diagnosis. It’s a way for them to show they are more than their illness.
Hear what this means to the performers in the video below:
“Here’s my opener,” McMillan said, sitting at his desk, where a small radio charges nearby. “A lot of people think I’m just a security guard at the front door, and they don’t respect me. But they should, because I’m a mental patient, too. And I’m not as stable as you think I am.”
Mcmillan claps his hands and laughs, swiveling in his chair. A few minutes later, he helps connect someone to mental health resources in the basement of the building. That’s where Chaz Walker, who lives with schizoaffective disorder, is tuning his guitar.
Walker’s made it his mission to give people with mental illness a place to express themselves. That’s why he’s been hosting these talent shows for years.
“It’s to give a better light on people who suffer from our type of illness,” Walker said. “Check it out and you’ll see for yourself. You might be shocked at some of the talents that are going to be there.”
Jeffrey Rivera, another performer, experienced homelessness for years before he moved to Cincinnati. He’s been diagnosed with depression and takes medication for bipolar disorder. He's a DJ who writes poetry and sometimes raps. Music gives Rivera something to do with his pain.
“If you have a passion for what you want to do, just keep going for it,” Rivera said. “You can always make something beautiful from the struggle.”
Ivanna Bond works in the basement at the Queen City Clubhouse. The clubhouse is an organization that works with people living with mental illness. She’s been helping Walker.
“There’s a ton of stigma,” Bond said.
That’s why she loves going to the talent show.
“They are just themselves and their art,” said Bond. “And it’s a really beautiful thing to see.”
