Big Boys Don’t Cry is a spoken word piece written and directed by Joe Byrne. Its aim is to tackle some of the ideas of what it means to be a man in society today, by going straight in and dismantling the commonly used phrase “Big Boys Don’t Cry”. Its main objective is to smash the false idea and belief that men and boys should not show emotion, or by in doing so you are somehow weak or inadequate. It touches on subjects such as suicide, loneliness, isolation and the social conditioning that`s shaping the generations of males now growing up amongst us. It is a call to action for men to open up and not to be afraid to express themselves freely. It is estimated that in 2015 in the UK and Ireland alone there were 6,639 suicides and of those 4,997 were males.
Joe Byrne is an international multi award winning, poet, writer, actor and filmmaker from Dublin. Unlike many poets on the scene, Joe’s formal acting training sets his work apart. In the modern world of performance poetry, being able to write and articulate at a high level is essential. Joe is able to take this to the next level by starring in and directing his own videos, which have helped him launch his work to a much wider audience. Joe’s poetry is dominated by prominent social issues such as mental health, homelessness and modern relationships.
