On behalf of the Demitasse Players, I welcome you to our inaugural Blog. My first order of business is to thank all of our supporters, sponsors, and especially to my staff and performing artists who have worked so hard for the mission of our troupe. I am blessed and wise enough to appreciate and to know that one’s success is never solo. I will refer to our website www.demitasseplayers.com for you to view excerpts from some of the troupe’s passionate performances.
I formed the Demitasse Players in 2016 with the mission to write and produce plays for the purpose of using the stage as a forum to educate people about the pain and taboos of mental illness. On a personal level my work is the result of having lost friends, loved ones, and family to mental illness. According to government statistics, only about 17% of American adults are considered to be in a state of optimal mental health. The Center for Disease and Control describes mental health as a composite of emotional, social, and psychological well being.
In three short years the troupe has presented four original off- Broadway plays, with more performances scheduled for 2020, along with psychotronic movies dealing with mental Illness.
We will be releasing Blogs on a monthly schedule, with each one addressing the relationship between existential thinking and mental illness. With the hope of providing our readers with some insights on how to navigate our interactions with mental illness.
To end on an existential note. Below is a reading of my short story, “The Just Man”, performed by Susan Bond.
Respectfully and existentially yours
Rich Cirulli