Actor Therapy Launches First Solo Cabaret Featuring Mathieu Whitman at Don't Tell Mama

Actor Therapy will present Mathieu Whitman at Don't Tell Mama, December 7th, 2016. The 9:30 PM concert is produced by Actor Therapy co-founders Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott Oliver, and will feature resident music director Rodney Bush on piano.

After debuting as part of 54 Below's Concert Lab series, Mathieu Whitman premieres his new solo show, a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to the music that inspired him (and kept him sane) as a gay teen growing up with an Irish/Cuban family in Rhode Island. This delightful and irreverent evening of music, laughter, and friends features everything from musical theatre favorites to Dolly Parton and Ben Folds, and promises some much needed levity ... plus a dash of holiday cheer.

Whitman most recently appeared as Frog in A Year With Frog and Toad at Casa Mañana in Ft. Worth, TX, which will be heading out on a national tour this Spring. Recent NYC credits include the reading of a new musical by Ryan Scott Oliver and playwright Jon Caren, and the debut of his solo show BE A LION at Feinstein's/54 Below as part of their inaugural Concert Lab series. Other credits: A Christmas Carol (Nat'l Tour); Pinkalicious! (Off-Broadway/Nat'l Tour); Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man... (Millbrook Playhouse); and the feature film Jug Face.

Philip Wakefield on drums, and guest stars Mariel Blatt, Kenneth Quinney Francoeur, Joseph Pyfferoen, Erin Rice, and Josephine Spada.

Actor Therapy was founded by Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott Oliver in 2012 to guide and mentor emerging musical theatre professionals as they navigate the New York Theater scene. Each session of Actor Therapy spans five weeks, with weekly song-and-critique master classes where students perform audition material or cabaret work for feedback from various instructors (which include Mendez, RSO, and guest directors, actors, music directors, casting directors and agents). But what separates Actor Therapy from its competitors is its focus on building personal relationships with students; to understand that an artist's struggles are not always in the technical sphere - sometimes breakthroughs can only happen by exploring the personal. To that end, Actor Therapy offers life-coaching, contact with instructors by email and text for additional support, bi-monthly concerts featuring their students at 54 Below, community events throughout the year (including regularly offered comp or discounted seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre). In 2016, Actor Therapy also instituted two new programs for returning students: The "Showcase" component, for students seeking representation by agents and managers, and the " Cabaret" component, where top-tier students produce a solo cabaret at a Manhattan music club. If you are interested in joining Actor Therapy, find out more at actortherapynyc.com.

Don't Tell Mama NYC is located at 343 W. 46th Street. For tickets, visit www.donttellmamanyc.com.

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