Matt Mitler (born May 27, 1955) is an American
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. He is also founding director (1997) o
Dzieci Theatre(the polish word for "children"), which balances its work on performance with work of service, through creative and therapeutic interaction in hospitals and a variety of institutional settings. The company is firmly dedicated to process and includes in its repertory the critically acclaimed ''Fools Mass'', which was presented at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona in 2004 and has been a staple since 1999 at
The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Mr. Mitler and Dzieci Theatre are profiled in Working on the Inside
The Spiritual Life Through the Eyes of Actorsby Retta Blaney, and are included, under Performance Theatre, in the current edition o
The Encyclopedia of Religion
Training
Matt Mitler initially trained in Humanistic and Existential Psychology, and Group Process before discovering the healing potential of theatre. He studied with such masters as
Jerzy Grotowski
Jerzy Marian Grotowski (; 11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and theorist whose innovative approaches to acting, training and theatrical production have significantly influenced theatre today.
He was born in Rzesz ...
and
Eugenio Barba
Eugenio Barba (born 29 October 1936) is an Italian author and theatre director based in Denmark. He is the founder of the Odin Theatre and the International School of Theatre Anthropology, both located in Holstebro, Denmark.
Biography
Barba was ...
in theatre;
Carl Rogers
Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902 – February 4, 1987) was an American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach (and client-centered approach) in psychology. Rogers is widely considered one of the founding fathers of ps ...
and
R. D. Laing
Ronald David Laing (7 October 1927 – 23 August 1989), usually cited as R. D. Laing, was a Scottish psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illnessin particular, the experience of psychosis. Laing's views on the causes and treatment o ...
in psychotherapy; and
Jean Houston
Jean Houston (born 10 May 1937) is an American author involved in the human potential movement. Along with her husband, Robert Masters, she co-founded the Foundation for Mind Research.
Biography
Early life and education
Houston was born in New ...
,
Ram Dass
Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and author. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been ...
, Elizabeth Cogburn, and
Michel de Salzmann in more esoteric disciplines. Integrating these pursuits became a lifelong process.
Directing and Teaching
From 1977 to 2005, Mitler led non-verbal, physically-oriented therapeutic workshops in a variety of settings including Hutchings Psychiatric Center (NY); The Association for Humanistic Psychology; The National Theatre School of Sweden; New Brunswick and Union Theological Seminaries; The Institute for Clergy Excellence; The Heart of the Healer Foundation; The Parliament for the World's Religions; and the graduate school of The University of Psychology of Warsaw, where his essay, ''Art and Therapy'' was published in the anthology, New Directions in Psychotherapy.
He performed, directed, taught, and formed the international theatre collective ''The Tribe'' in Amsterdam, which presented interactive works at a variety of therapeutic institutions and was featured at Le Festival Mondial du Theatre in Nancy, France. Other festivals, which presented Mitler’s work, include: The Koln Festival, Vienna Festwochen, The International Festival of Fools, The Gaukler Festival of Mime, The International Festival of Mimes and Pantomimes (Poland), and The Theatre of Nations.
Mitler has designed and directed more than 80 theatrical productions; among them, his own adaptation of Nathaniel West’s ''Miss Lonely Hearts'' for the 29th Street Repertory Theatre; the critically acclaimed musical ''Sofrito'', featuring The Latin Legends All Stars, for the New Victory Theater; and the apocalyptic epic ''Dirty Money'' (also co-author) for Teatr Am Turm in Frankfurt, Germany. He has also staged the works of dozens of solo artists and ensembles at a variety of NYC venues including The Samuel Beckett Theatre, LaMama ETC, and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Performance and Film
Mitler has been a stand-up comic, a mime, a celebrity impersonator, a voice artist, and a therapist. He appeared on numerous television programs and starred in over a dozen Grade Z motion pictures in the 80’s before creating his own film projects. His first film feature, ''Cracking Up'', (producer, director, writer, editor and actor), garnered a number of awards; including ''Best Film'' in The Venice International Film Festival Critic’s Week and the ''People’s Choice Award'' in The New York Underground Film Festival.
Selected works
* ''La Census!'' (2020) Promotional video for the City of New York – writer, director, designer
''Kaufman's Holiday/Sunday Night Noir'' on iTunes (2017) A literary podcast written and voiced by Matt Mitler* ''If Not Now'' (2001) Animal rescue documentary - Writer, Producer, Director
* ''National Hugging Center'' (1997) Ray Wonder music video (Sweden) - Writer, Producer, Director
* ''Cracking Up'' (1995) Independent feature film about a self-destructive comic - Writer, Producer, Director, Editor, Actor
* ''Macbeth, King of Scoutland'' (1993) A feature video parody of Macbeth - Producer, Director, Editor, Adaptation, Actor
* ''Les Enfants Miserables'' (1992) Cult video - Producer, Director, Editor, Actor
* ''Kid Scarface'' (1991), ''Dick and Jane drop Acid and Die'' (1991), ''I Was a Teenage Bride of Christ'' (1992) - Cult videos - Producer, Director, Actor, Editor
Select Publications
* ''A Note on Process: Theatre Group Dzieci'' (2013) An essay in the anthology, ''The Coming Interspiritual Age''
* ''A Human Sacrifice: Art and the Art of Theatre Group Dzieci'' (2006) Essay in the journal, ''Infinite Sensitivity''
* ''The Encyclopedia of Religion'' (1993) Profile on Mitler and Dzieci Theatre under ''Performance Theatre''
* ''The Word Made Flesh'' (2004) Essay in the journal, ''Kosmos''
* ''The Movie of the Month Club'' (2003) Essay in the anthology, ''Captured: A Lower East Side Film & Video History'', edited by Clayton Patterson
* ''Art and Therapy'' (1981) Essay in ''New Directions in Psychotherapy'' - University of Warsaw Press
Bibliography
Dzieci/Mitler profile in Ecumenica, a journal of theatre and performance. In Volume 2.1, Spring 2009Dzieci profiled in Scene, The Quarterly Journal of the International Schools Theatre Association 2009-10 December Issue 2Matt Mitler – Theater, Transformation & The Pursuit Of Truth: The OwnStream Podcast Ep#4Mitler interview with Guy Hoffman for Gurdjieff Internet GuideMitler/Dzieci profile in Working on the Inside: The Spiritual Life Through the Eyes of Actors*
Cracking Up on IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitler, Matt
Living people
American male film actors
American male voice actors
1955 births