Roslyn Heights ? On Saturday, August 11th the Cultural Arts Playhouse (CAP), and Artistic Director Tony Frangipane, hosted a performance of Next to Normal, a Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play about a woman?s struggle with bipolar disorder and its effects on her family. The night featured a special post-show appearance?by Courage Long Island (CLI), a Huntington-based 501(c)3 non-profit focused on raising awareness and promoting education about mood disorders. After the play, CLI?s director, Andrew Calderaro, and Ron Cohen M.D., one of the non-profit?s mental health professionals, hosted an Info Talk about bipolar disorder where audience members interacted with the cast, asking questions about their processes.
The evening also marked the culmination of a grassroots fundraising effort for ?CLI by members of the production.? Raising three-times their initial goal, the cast awarded the donation to Calderaro and Cohen, who accepted it on behalf of Courage Long Island.
The collaboration between Next to Normal was formed from Frangipane?s desire to align his production with a local organization that addresses ?mood disorders. CLI is the only non-profit on Long Island that deals with moods disorders exclusively.
Last month, Calderaro and Cohen met at the CAP with the cast and crew of Next to Normal and held a comprehensive Info Talk: A down-to-earth yet frank discussion about mood disorders. Frangipane remarked ?I invited CLI to speak because I wanted everyone to have a heightened awareness of what mood disorders are and how they impact the lives of people who are affected ?It was truly was an incredible way to help the actors flesh out their roles and deliver gritty, honest performances that come from their hearts!?
Frangipane and the cast were so moved they vowed to raise funds for CLI to support the year-old organization?s growth. ?Theater doesn't just have to entertain. ?It can educate people. Next to Normal is so personal to me that not only did I want to present it to Long Island theater-goers, I wanted do some good along the way,? said Frangipane.?
After every show, actor Tanya Wills, who portrayed protagonist Diana Goodman, asked audience members to donate what they could to bolster CLI?s efforts. ?We are blown away by Tony?s and the cast?s dedication to building support for Courage,? beamed Calderaro. ?In only a few weeks, they managed to surpass my ? and their own ? expectations. The effort and the generosity of the crowds reflect the severity of mood disorders and Long Islanders? recognition of the need to support such programs.? The cast collected over $1,500, which will significantly help CLI?s organizational growth and infrastructure.
Depression is a leading cause of disability and the fourth largest contributor to the global burden of disease. It has been estimated that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world, trailing only ischemic heart disease. Currently, mental health problems such as depression, account for nearly half of all disability among young people ages of 10 to 24. Mental disorders, especially depressive disorders, are strongly related to the outcomes of many chronic diseases including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, according to Cohen.
?Courage Long Island's dedication to mood disorder awareness, information, and outreach provides necessary primary prevention in addition to resources for early diagnosis, which will hopefully lead to early intervention and complete symptom resolution,? he added.
Courage Long Island is a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Huntington. It was founded in 2011 with the mission of educating Long Islanders about the mood disorders depression and bipolar disorder, empower those who suffer from these illnesses, battle the stigma attached to sufferers, and to be a reliable source of information. Courage Long Island educates Long Islanders through its Info Talks program, which is anchored by Courage?s team of mental health professionals. Info Talks has reached both Suffolk and Nassau counties.
The Cultural Arts Playhouse Center, Inc. (CAP) was founded in 1995 by Bruce Grossman. Named by The Long Press as the Island?s Best Live Theater in 2007, the Playhouse is based in Plainview as a year-round regional, off-off Broadway theatre with over 500 productions to its credit. The Playhouse serves more than 20,000 people annually with its professional adult productions, children?s theatre performances, and theatre education classes for those ages 7-18. Many CAP alumni have used their educations and experience to perform professional theatre, recordings, television, and film. Alumni include Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Broadway?s Brian Daddario and Marissa McGowan. The CAP also has theatres in Wantagh and Roslyn Heights.
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