Acclaimed One-Man Production of "Man of La Mancha" Returns to the Stage
Dean Patrick Carvin will be performing his acclaimed production of “[One] Man of La Mancha” on Monday, May 15, at 3 p.m. at the University Lutheran Church, 38th and Chestnut streets, in Philadelphia. His performance will be followed by a candlelight buffet dinner in the church’s Hospitality Room at 5:30. Following dinner, at 7 p.m., Carvin will perform “Manic: Portrait of a Bi-Polar,” a favorite of the Philly Fringe Festival.
I know that the majority of those who are reading this are not in the Philadelphia area. However, if you are interested in the theater and in efforts to fight discrimination and stigma, you might find Dean’s work noteworthy.
Here’s what Philadelphia’s City Paper (http://www.citypaper.net/) said about “Manic”: “In this appropriately titled show, one-man star Dean Patrick Carvin delivers an impressive array of characterizations with skillful and cohesive transitions to an ‘audience’ of imagined psychiatric evaluators. . . . [Y]ou’ll emerge with a new look at your own unexamined life.”
“[One] Man of La Mancha” has earned Dean standing ovations as well as critical acclaim in local papers. For example, the LaSalle Collegian praised his “exhilarating performance,” adding: “Carvin gives a seemingly effortless performance of all sixteen characters included in the original musical. He injects a great deal of humor into his performance through his portrayals of females and his impromptu ad-libs.” Another reviewer noted that he “was able to capture his audience with laughter while generating insight into [mental] illness.”
Fifteen years ago, Dean Carvin founded Two-Face Productions, a theater company of people who have mental illnesses and their friends. “Two-Face Productions has enlightened audiences throughout the Delaware Valley about the plight of people who have mental illnesses, and helped to lessen the public’s fears and misunderstandings about mental illness,” he said. He named the company after his own diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Dean is celebrating his 25th anniversary of being diagnosed with what actress Patty Duke has called “the most desired of the mental illnesses” with a day of education and entertainment. In coordination with Mental Health Month (May), he is proclaiming his marathon ‘Mental Health Consumers Enrich Our Lives’ Day. “Mayor Street’s Office is considering making this official,” Carvin said.
Active in local theater since 1976, Carvin has at least 50 shows, including half a dozen solo pieces, to his credit. Fourteen years ago, at the Shubin theater, he performed a solo interpretation of Thornton Wilder’s rarely seen classic “The Long Christmas Dinner” – portraying 90 years of one family’s Christmases – to favorable reviews. He also directed a full ensemble cast for the Old Academy Players (where Grace Kelly got her start) in East Falls. “Two-Face Productions did this on a shoestring, dressing 11 characters in period costumes spanning the years from 1850 to 1940, when the play takes place, with the help of the Arden and Wilma theaters’ costume archives,” he said. In December 2001, Dean directed the Wilder play with a cast of people who, like himself, have mental illnesses, at Project Transition (a residence for people with mental illnesses in Warrington, Penn.).
A portion of the proceeds from this one-day-only event will be donated to the Immediate Seating Program, a free ticket exchange for those who receive the services of ActionAIDS (http://www.actionaids.org/).
Tickets for “[One] Man of La Mancha” are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. The buffet dinner costs an additional $9. Ticket prices for “Manic: Portrait of a Bi-Polar” are $10 for those who acknowledge that they are diagnosed with a mental illness, $20 for those who do not have a mental illness.
For more information, you can write to Dean at dean.carvin@yahoo.com. If you are interested in advance tickets or dinner reservations, you can contact Tootsie Iovine, 215-313-8421. Tickets may also be purchased at Tootsie’s Salad Express in the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
Posted by Susan Rogers
I know that the majority of those who are reading this are not in the Philadelphia area. However, if you are interested in the theater and in efforts to fight discrimination and stigma, you might find Dean’s work noteworthy.
Here’s what Philadelphia’s City Paper (http://www.citypaper.net/) said about “Manic”: “In this appropriately titled show, one-man star Dean Patrick Carvin delivers an impressive array of characterizations with skillful and cohesive transitions to an ‘audience’ of imagined psychiatric evaluators. . . . [Y]ou’ll emerge with a new look at your own unexamined life.”
“[One] Man of La Mancha” has earned Dean standing ovations as well as critical acclaim in local papers. For example, the LaSalle Collegian praised his “exhilarating performance,” adding: “Carvin gives a seemingly effortless performance of all sixteen characters included in the original musical. He injects a great deal of humor into his performance through his portrayals of females and his impromptu ad-libs.” Another reviewer noted that he “was able to capture his audience with laughter while generating insight into [mental] illness.”
Fifteen years ago, Dean Carvin founded Two-Face Productions, a theater company of people who have mental illnesses and their friends. “Two-Face Productions has enlightened audiences throughout the Delaware Valley about the plight of people who have mental illnesses, and helped to lessen the public’s fears and misunderstandings about mental illness,” he said. He named the company after his own diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Dean is celebrating his 25th anniversary of being diagnosed with what actress Patty Duke has called “the most desired of the mental illnesses” with a day of education and entertainment. In coordination with Mental Health Month (May), he is proclaiming his marathon ‘Mental Health Consumers Enrich Our Lives’ Day. “Mayor Street’s Office is considering making this official,” Carvin said.
Active in local theater since 1976, Carvin has at least 50 shows, including half a dozen solo pieces, to his credit. Fourteen years ago, at the Shubin theater, he performed a solo interpretation of Thornton Wilder’s rarely seen classic “The Long Christmas Dinner” – portraying 90 years of one family’s Christmases – to favorable reviews. He also directed a full ensemble cast for the Old Academy Players (where Grace Kelly got her start) in East Falls. “Two-Face Productions did this on a shoestring, dressing 11 characters in period costumes spanning the years from 1850 to 1940, when the play takes place, with the help of the Arden and Wilma theaters’ costume archives,” he said. In December 2001, Dean directed the Wilder play with a cast of people who, like himself, have mental illnesses, at Project Transition (a residence for people with mental illnesses in Warrington, Penn.).
A portion of the proceeds from this one-day-only event will be donated to the Immediate Seating Program, a free ticket exchange for those who receive the services of ActionAIDS (http://www.actionaids.org/).
Tickets for “[One] Man of La Mancha” are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. The buffet dinner costs an additional $9. Ticket prices for “Manic: Portrait of a Bi-Polar” are $10 for those who acknowledge that they are diagnosed with a mental illness, $20 for those who do not have a mental illness.
For more information, you can write to Dean at dean.carvin@yahoo.com. If you are interested in advance tickets or dinner reservations, you can contact Tootsie Iovine, 215-313-8421. Tickets may also be purchased at Tootsie’s Salad Express in the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
Posted by Susan Rogers
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