Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Mirin.
Jonathan, please share your story with us.
In the 1970′s, I was busy getting beat up in a Boston suburb and Godeliève Richard was being sent to buy seven liters of milk to feed her six siblings in a Swiss village. In 1998, we began practicing Vipassana meditation, separately. In 2000, I had finished the run of my first two plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Having never been to Europe, I set out with a back-pack and an open-ended itinerary, only to make a fateful stop at the Vipassana Meditation Center in Switzerland where Godeliève was waiting for me… Er, also volunteering. We didn’t speak much, but I did manage to invite her to join me in India where I was headed via a rather circuitous three month overland route. This part of our story later became part of Piti Theatre’s first production, Riding the Wave.com.
In 2003, we were married in our friend Forest’s forest and in 2004, Riding the Wave.com premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. In 2006, we moved to Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Our first collaborative production “Elmer and the Elder Tree” began touring New England in 2008. Then . . .
2009: Ezekiel (a son, not a play)
2010: 28 FEET, a solo autobiographical comedy about growing up with Crohn’s disease
2010: 1st Annual SYRUP: One Sweet Performing Arts Festival, Piti’s annual festival celebrating spring, sap and the arts.
2012: “To Bee or Not to Bee” and “Etre ou ne pas être . . . une abeille”, a play with music about honeybee disappearance premieres in the U.S. and Switzerland (Piti’s first French language production)
2015: “Innocenzo” a play with music about a clown’s environmental health challenges in the 21st century, premieres in the U.S. and Switzerland (second French production).
We have also created many “mini-productions”, workshops and residencies for schools, organizations and festivals around New England.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? What’s been the biggest challenge?
One of the biggest challenges along the way has been Godelieve’s experience with electro sensitivity.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Piti Theatre story. Tell us more about the business.
Piti Theatre creates plays that bring awareness to modern environmental issues. Honeybee disappearance and electromagnetic pollution are two very important environmental issues of our time. Our health, the health of our children, and the health of our planet all stand to benefit from each of us becoming more aware of these issues, and implementing changes as individuals and communities to collectively improve our well-being. We hope to help our audiences become more aware and empowered.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Any circumstances/life events can be perceived as good luck or bad lack… it all depends on how you decide to look at it. Regardless of the circumstances we come into, we have the choice to react in a way that harms ourselves and others or helps ourselves and others. So you could say that our life and business have been gifted with many opportunities to respond to both lighthearted and difficult circumstances with equanimity, love and compassion.
Contact Info:
- Address: 280 Colrain Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, MA 01370
- Website: www.ptco.org
- Phone: 413-625-6569
- Email: jonathan@ptco.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pititheatre/
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