#18 with John Dapolito on The Art of Being a Man

MINDSETSHIFT with Mickey Feher

I felt it was high time to talk about men and art, acting and masculinity. In this episode my guest is John Dapolito, the Founder of Actors! Where Are You Going?, a cutting edge acting program for professional actors.John shares his personal story and how he was able to transform the void his absent father left into “becoming what he missed”. We also talk about the role of assertiveness for men and how it can blend well with kindness, support and attention.

John recently penned, Ethan & Nico Go to Therapy. His other plays include: Augie’s Ring (Los Angeles Times Critics Pick), An Act of Kindness (Los Angeles Times Critics Pick), Killer Midgets, and Baptism by Fire. The latter play, Baptism by Fire was produced and directed by Emmy Award Winner Michael Imperioli (Sopranos) and starred Nick Sandow (Orange is the New Black) and Vincert Curatola (Sopranos). John’s screenplay When Tough Guys Were King co-authored by Dominik Tiefenthaler, and is based on the video testimonial recordings of his estranged ex-con father, August Dapolito, a native of Jersey City who struggled with heroin addiction, alcohol and prison for 25 years until he lost his life to AIDS in 1993. John is also a New York City based professional acting teacher and director. He first directed Ralph Pape’s Soap Opera some twenty-five years ago, and in the spring of 2013 he directed a daring production of Neil LaBute’s Romance. In 2013 he directed Brian Gianci’s, Let’s Kill Grandma This Christmas. In 2017 he directed the American premiere of Ghost Story by Mark Ravenhill.