Welcome to the world of Mental Issues…
You may think the patients are the most interesting part of therapy, but wait till you see things from the other side; especially through the eyes of Matt Monahan (played by Chris Kapcia)—a young therapist just starting out in the field of mental health counseling. Trying to balance the cold, jaded and profane whims of his boss, Dr. Benjamin Demaio (Bruce Sabath), and the eccentricities of his coworkers Gerard (Dave Lanson), Naomi (Jennifer Fouche) and Devon (Michael Cortez) with the unique challenges each patient brings is a dizzying load for the rookie Matt. His personal life, on the other hand, is rather aimless and unpopulated as a pot-smoking, self-medicating bachelor living in a Brooklyn studio apartment. That is until yoga instructor, self-proclaimed “chakra counselor” and new neighbor Lori (Natalie Johnson) sparks romantic intrigue in Matt, despite his irritation with her New Age, pseudo-Eastern values.
Mental Issues is a single-camera comedy series presented in twenty-two to twenty-five minute episodes, and it is for mature audiences only. It is written and created by Joe Thristino, produced by Runaway Diva Productions, Alpha Tree Productions and Pushpop Media, and directed by Maurice Harris.
We are shooting the first three episodes (already written) at the end of August with post-production immediately following. A video promo for the show should be posted within the next week or so.
***P.S. CHECK OUT THE GALLERY FOR CAST PHOTOS AND SAMPLES OF JOE THRISTINO'S AWARD-NOMINATED WORK, INCLUDING AN EXCERPT FROM ONE OF THE EPISODE SCRIPTS!***
CAST
Chris Kapcia MATT MONAHAN
Natalie Johnson LORI STACY
Bruce Sabath DR. BENJAMIN DEMAIO
Dave Lanson GERARD EHRENREICH
Jennifer Fouche NAOMI CANADA
Michael Cortez DEVON SANDINO
William Apps WESLEY
Jolie Garrett DR. EMMETT BLAU
Tracey Conyer Lee BELINDA
Aaron Riesebeck LOGAN
Waliek Crandall ANGRY MAN
Christopher Birk (TBD)
Jennifer Aedo TELEVISED YOGA & CHAKRA GURU
Zachary Ryan ARI
BEHIND THE CAMERA
Joe Thristino
Co-Creator/Writer
Joe has written a number of works—for both stage and screen—including the play Helicopters: An Old-Fashioned Love Story Between A Boy, A Girl, And A Hooker, which debuted this spring at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and is preparing for a full theatrical run in the Fall/Winter of 2013. Another original play of his, Release Note, was a finalist for Best One Act at the 2010 Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans. He also works extensively as a freelance writer and ghostwriter for screenplays, short fiction and novels.
Maurice Harris
Producer/Director
Let’s be honest, If you’ve actually heard of Maurice Harris by name, you’re one of the lucky few. But regardless of whether you know his name, you already know his work. Maurice bills himself simply as a creative artist, and he has produced and directed audio and video arts for major labels, indie labels, large corporations and small businesses for the past 20 years.
www.pushpopmedia.com
Jennifer Fouche
Producer
A proud native of Detroit, Jennifer is a New York based Actor and singer who has worked extensively in the theatre, since graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2008. She is an ensemble member of the critically acclaimed Amoralists Theatre Company and a past member of the Flea Theatre's resident acting company, The Bats. She has worked in film, television and voice over; toured both at home and abroad and her tenure in the music industry garnered her a gold record in the UK. She recently produced the New York premiere of Joe Thristino's darkly comedic play, "HELICOPTERS: An Old Fashioned Love Story About A Boy, A Girl and A Hooker" and her one woman show, "Grown Folks Are Talking" will go into production in 2013.
www.jenniferfouche.com
Christopher Birk
Producer
Christopher was born and raised in Denmark where dance and musical theater took up most of his time. He moved to New York, to study at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since graduating in 2009 he has worked on various projects, including Indie Films "Solomon Grundy" and "Papa Gorilla Banana”. In 2011 he wrote the screenplay for and directed an adaptation of “Willa” a short story by Stephen King. It’s currently being submitted to film festivals all around. With “Willa”, the short film “Alone” and now this project, Christopher created Alpha Tree Productions in the hope that many more theatrical productions and movies.
