Days Like These
FEATURE SCREENPLAY
Carpe Diem: The Origin Story
Days Like These began as Carpe Diem, a touring stage play I wrote in response to the alarming suicide rate among farmers and the mental health crisis facing regional Australia.
As a farmer's wife, these issues are personal. As a former teacher turned playwright and screenwriter, I've always been drawn to stories that create real community impact through theatre in education and arts and health.
From 2015 to 2024, Carpe Diem toured regional NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT, in partnership with Lifeline, StandBy, Carers NSW, Primary Health Networks, RAMHP, Anglicare, Headspace and Ski for Life. Every performance was followed by facilitated conversations about mental health, suicide, grief, recovery and hope. What we witnessed in those rooms — openness, honesty, connection — confirmed what I already believed: stories reduce stigma, build compassion, and help people seek help.
The impact reached beyond the stage. In 2016, the production's partnership with RAMHP won a NSW Government Partnership Award for the Murrumbidgee Tour, recognising its role in bringing communities together and connecting people with professional support.
After a decade on the road, the story outgrew the stage. Film meant taking these conversations beyond community halls to audiences across Australia and the world.
Days Like These is that next chapter — the same heart, humour and hope, now with the scope of cinema. Since adapting the screenplay, it has been recognised in competitions and festivals across Australia, New York, London and Los Angeles, proof that a deeply Australian story can speak to everyone.
The Actors
The Providers
The Country We Toured
A cinematic exploration of character and place.
The Audiences
Witnessing the quiet power of rural life.
Testimonials
Acclaimed for its heart.
Rural Foundations
The scorched earth of rural Australia isn't just a setting; it's the emotional heartbeat of 'Days Like These'. The vast, silent horizons of the Victorian Alpine region provided the initial canvas, where the stoic beauty of the landscape mirrors the internal struggles of Johno and his community.
Every line of the script was born from the red dust and the resilient spirits found in these regional towns. The dry heat and the unwavering sun establish a tone of endurance, setting the stage for a narrative that explores what happens when the silence becomes too loud to ignore.
This is where the story breathes—in the quiet moments between the hills and the shared history of a landscape that demands honesty and courage from those who call it home.
"The silent expanse of the Australian landscape is more than just scenery; it's the weight of every word unsaid."
Megan Young Rigoni
"Johno's journey isn't just about a car; it's about the engine of a man finally learning to fire on all cylinders again."
Megan Young Rigoni
"Writing this story was my way of showing that vulnerability is the ultimate act of courage in the bush."
Megan Young Rigoni
Join the Journey
Explore the full story behind 'Days Like These', or reach out directly to request the complete script and join our exploration of rural resilience.