Escape From The Planet Of The Arts

Twenty years of the insane roller coaster ride that is the New York City theater/comedy scene is enough! Exuberance followed by crushing heartbreak. Tormented by not having 'made it big' after all his struggles - Joe Montaperto desperately needs a radical change in his life. Someplace the exact opposite of New York. Plus, he's being evicted from his apartment to make room for expensive new condominiums. Penniless and distraught, he moves back to his parent's house in New Jersey. It is 2002 and he is 42 years old. This won't end well, he thinks. Prophetically, he suffers a nervous breakdown after witnessing his parent's uproarious laughter at nightly reruns of Friends. Now realizing he must completely reinvent himself - he recalls his earlier desire (obsession?) to visit the Amazon jungle - and with immense trepidation, boards a flight to Ecuador. He knows nobody there and doesn't really speak the language. Once there, he must confront his numerous demons as intense loneliness follows. Alternating between bouts of drunkenness alone in his Quito hostel room - and enjoying the limelight of drunken dancing at various bars, he ultimately returns to his hostel room thoroughly disappointed in himself. There has been no reinvention. Finally taking a trip to the northern Ecuadorian forests, his spirits are lifted by nature - for a while. He soon becomes despondent again though, when he realizes he is still lonely; not only that, but he has no money for overpriced indigenous homestays nor even a mountaineering adventure! Also, he hates tourists. Joe has been meditating everyday, however, which keeps him somewhat sane. Now he feels that if he could only pull the trigger on this dark loneliness by courting a young Ecuatoriana - maybe that could save him? He receives his answer however, when after only two dates, the family is planning an extravagant Catholic wedding. Joe escapes at the last minute. That's it. Joe figures he has one last shot at redemption - the Amazon! For reasons that elude even himself, he has been strenuously avoiding it up until this point - so with extreme resistance, decides to finally head down and meet his destiny. Unfortunately for him, he is immediately scammed by an indigenous con artist promising an ''authentic experience" on his jungle property. Incredulous that he has been played, (he's from New York, after all!) he resigns himself to a return to his parent's house, an utterly ashamed failure. Luckily, fortune steps in at this very moment - as he randomly meets Miseal, an indigenous tour guide operator. As Joe reluctantly joins him on an expedition - they soon become fast friends. Over the ensuing month, Miseal invites him into the indigenous community, with all its customs and rituals. Everything clicks, the community and Joe embrace each other, and he feels really comfortable for the first time in his life. His confidence and openness grow daily. Miseal invites him deep into the jungle to meet his friend Aunque - an authentic shaman. Over the next two weeks, Joe participates in two very intense Ayahuasca ceremonies which serve to completely open up his consciousness. With his newfound confidence and ease, he follows a quest, taking a cargo boat into the deepest Peruvian jungle - and awaits the next adventure.