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 essence, being in a state of optimal mental health places one in the minority of society.
In three short years the troupe has presented four original off- Broadway plays, with more performances scheduled for 2010, along with psychotronic movies dealing with mental illness.
We will be releasing Newsletters and Blogs on a monthly schedule, with each one addressing the relationship between existential thinking and mental illness. Presented in the hope of providing our readers with some insights on how to existentially navigate our interactions with mental illness.
My next Newsletter and Blog will deal with the theme of my new book to be released in January,
Demitasse Divorce
(An Existential and Erotic Infidelity?)
That asks the question- Is love a cruel game we call happiness?
Please click on the following link to hear Susan Bond’s reading of my existential short story
Wishing you an existential new year,
Rich Cirulli
