Organization: EPIC PLAYERS INC
Mission: EPIC PLAYERS, INC. FOUNDED ON AUGUST 15, 2016 IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT, NEURO DIVERSE THEATRE COMPANY DEDICATED TO CREATING PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING ARTS OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTIVE SOCIAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. THROUGH OUR INCLUSIVE MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS, MUSICAL CABARETS, ORIGINAL SHOWCASES, SKILL-BASED CLASSES AND CAREER RESOURCES, WE HOPE TO INCREASE CRITICAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND BREAK DOWN LONG HELD STEREOTYPES SURROUNDING NEURO-DIVERSIVE COMMUNITIES.
Activities: ONE OF EPIC'S PRIMARY SERVICES ARE FREE CLASSES AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FOR ALL COMPANY MEMBERS LIVING WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. IN 2019, WE OFFERED OVER 100 CLASSES IN: DEVISED THEATER, IMPROVISATION, MUSICAL THEATER, FILM PRODUCTION, ARTS ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONAL NARRATIVE. WE SERVED UP TO 20 INDIVIDUALS IN EACH CLASS, AND 63 COMMUNITY MEMBERS OVERALL. WE ALSO EMPLOYED 20 TEACHING ARTISTS AND CLASSS MENTORS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS. EPIC'S INNOVATION STEMS FROM OUR NEURO- INCLUSIVE TECHING TECHNIQUES AND WORK CULTURE. TRUE TO OUR MISSION, EPIC CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE ARTISTS LIVING WITH AND WITHOUT DISABIITIES CAN WORK AND LEARN TOGETHER IN THE SAME CLASS OR PRODUCTION. IN OUR PERFORMING ARTS CLASSES, EPIC'S TEACHING METHOD IS ADAPTED TO ENSURE ALL LESSONS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THE LEARNER, REGARDLESS OF ABILITY. EPIC CONTINUED ITS IN SCHOOL PROGRAMMING TO TEACH SOCIAL SKILLS THROUGH THE ARTS TO STUDENTS 8 TO 18 WHO ARE LIVING WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. EPIC WORKED WITH SEVERAL SCHOOL PARTNERS AND HOSTED BI-WEEKLY CLASSES IN 2019 AT EACH SCHOOL FROM SEPTEMBER TO JUNE WITH 12 STUDENTS IN EACH CLASS AND TWO TEACHING ARTISTS LEADING EACH CLASS. WITH OUR FREE CLASSES, WE HOPE TO PROVIDE THE TRAINING AND SUPPORT NEEDED FOR OUR PLAYERS TO PURSUE A MEANINGFUL CAREER IN THE ARTS AND TO EXPOSE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES TO A PATHWAY TO ACCESSIBLE ARTS AND CREATIVE CONFIDENCE.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: EPIC WORKS TIRELESSLY TO CREATE PROFESSIONAL QUALITY PERFORMING OPPORTUNITES IN THE ARTS FOR ITS NEURO-DIVERSE ACTORS SO THEY CAN GET HANDS-ON JOB EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD AND BE PREPARED TO ATTAIN JOBS OUTSIDE OF EPIC IN THE ARTS WORLD. EPIC EMPLOYS ALL OF IT'S NEURO DIVERSE ARTISTS ONSTAGE AND BEHIND THE SCENES AND PAYS THEM A SMALL STIPEND FOR THEIR TIME AND TALENT. EPIC PRODUCES 2 CHALLENGING, NEURO-INCLUSIVE, AND PAID PERFORMANCES PER YEAR, REACHING AUDIENCES OF OVER 800 PEOPLE WITH EACH PRODUCTION - A GROWTH OF 50% SINCE LAST YEAR. OUR 2019 PRODUCTIONS INCLUDED "LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS- AND "PETER AND THE STARCATCHER" AS WELL AS TWO CABARET PRODUCTIONS AT LINCOLN CENTER AND JOE'S PUB AND AN ORIGINAL SPOKEN WORD PRODUTION CALLED "THE EPIC UNDERGROUND: STORYTELLERS". ALL OUR OUR MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS ARE SELECTED FOR THEIR CAPACITY TO BE ELEVATED BY A NEURO-DIVERSE CAST. EACH PRODUCTION PROVIDES OUR PLAYERS WITH THE OPPORTUNTIY TO APPLY THEIR SKILLS IN REAL-TIME, SHOWCASE THEIR TALENTS, AND LEARN FROM PROFESSIONAL COLLEAGUES IN THE ARTS. OUR PLAYERS SERVE AS ACTORS, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, STAGE MANAGERS, TECHNICIANS, AND FRONT OF HOUSE STAFF FOR OUR SHOWS AND EACH IS COMPENSATED FOR THEIR TIME AND TALENT. IN 2019, WE HELD 107, 3 HOUR REHEARSALS FOR OUR TWO MAIN-STAGE PRODUCTIONS AND EMPLOYED 47 NEURO DIVERSE ARTISTS ONSTAGE AND BACKSTAGE ALONG WITH 10 NEURO TYPICAL ARTISTS. TOTAL AUDIENCE OF APPROXIMATELY 1800 MEMBERS. THE PRODUCTIONS EACH PERFORMED 10 SHOWS. OUR AUDIENCES ARE ALSO NUERO INCLUSIVE, WITH ROUGHLY 50% OF OUR TURNOUT CONSISTING OF MEMBERS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS, WHO ARE ALSO LIVING WITH NEURO DIVERSITIES. OUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK WAS OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE AND REFLECTED SUCCESS IN RAISING AWARENESS OF NEURO-DIVERSE COMMUNITIES AND THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE WITH 30% OF OUR ATTENDEES INDICATING THAT OURS WAS THE FIRST NEURO DIVERSE PRODUCTION THEY HAD WITNESSED, AND THEY WERE LIKELY TO RETURN FOR SIMILAR PERFORMANCES. THROUGH THE ACCESS GIVEN BY EPIC, COMPANY MEMBERS HAVE RECENTLY AUDITIONED FOR AND WON ROLES IN OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS, TELEVISION SHOWS AND COMMERCIALS; SOME MEMBERS HAVE EVEN BEEN FEATURED IN FILMS SHOWN ACROSS THE NATION AND EARNED THEIR ACTORS UNION MEMBERSHIP. ADDITIONAL RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE: OUR 2019 PRODUCTIONS BEING FEATURED ON NPR AND FOX 5 NEWS, SPEAKING ON THE VITALITY AND POWER OF AUTISM IN THE ARTS AT THE UNITED NATIONS IN HONOR OF WORLD AUTISM DAY, PERFORMING AT HBO HEADQUARTERS AND RECEIVING A NY INNOVATIVE THEATRE AWARD NOMINATION FOR THE 2017 NEURO-DIVERSE PRODUCTION OF DOG SEES GOD AND RINGING THE OPENING BELL AT THE NYSE IN CELEBRATION OF AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH.
NTEE category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Secondary category: Education