DAVID SIMPATICO is a playwright, librettist and performance artist whose work has been presented at major theatres around the globe, including London’s Hammersmith Apollo, Lincoln Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the New York Shakespeare Festival. Career highlights include: the stage adaptation of High School Musical (Disney Theatricals;) the grand opera, The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (Justine Chen, composer;) the music drama, The Screams of Kitty Genovese (Will Todd, composer;) and the libretto for Pulitzer Prize-winner Aaron J. Kernis’ choral symphony, Garden of Light, commissioned by Michael Eisner and The Disney Company (NY Philharmonic, conducted by Kurt Masur).
Currently adapting Robert Bloch’s That Hell-Bound Train as a jazz opera with composer Lisa DeSpain, David is also finishing Rose of Sharon, a concept album about the end of the world (Heather Christian, composer and co-lyricist.) Three new non-musical plays are currently being shopped around: X-Gay Bar, Wilde About Whitman, and Waiting for the Ball to Drop. David recently earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the MountainView Writers at Southern New Hampshire University. He is an alumnus of the CLDP at American Lyric Theater, and a graduate of Northwestern University. Along with playwright Darrah Cloud, he runs Howl Playwrights, in Rhinebeck, NY where he lives with his husband, Robert and his dog, Elmo.
REPRESENTATION:
Elaine Devlin, at Elaine Devlin Literary
P: 212-842-9030
edevlinlit@aol.com
Website: https://edevlinlit.com
BIO
RESUME
AWARDS & HONORARIA
MFA, Creative Writing, 2017; Southern New Hampshire University
Jonathan Larson Foundation, Awards Committee (Reader), 2018
Dutchess Partners in the Arts Review Panel, 2018
NYSCA Grant: The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (Opera: 2016)
Arch Grant: The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (Opera: 2015)
Opera Commission, American Lyric Theatre: 2012-13
Resident Artist, American Lyric Theatre, CLDP fellow: 2010
The Screams of Kitty Genovese Outstanding New Musical Talkin’Broadway Summer Theatre Festival Citation 2006
Winner—Act One/SHOWTIME Festival, Los Angeles: May ‘94
John Kraajikamp Musical Theatre Award: Nominee, Best Script, High School Musical (Holland)
The Audience, Drama Desk Nomination, Best Musical, 2005
The Screams of Kitty Genovese Runner Up Best New Musical NY Musical Theatre Festival 2006
Ft. Worth Gay/Lesbian Film Festival: Wish Fulfillment 2006
Brooklyn Museum of Art, guest artist
Lark Playwrights Workshop Fellow, w/Arthur Kopit: 2002
National Alliance of Music Theatre Conference, 2001
Lark Theatre, Artist in Residence, 2000
O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference, 2000, ‘99
English National Opera Works: 2000, 99
Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation, 2000
Emerging Playwright, Urban Stages, ’99
Sloan Foundation/EST New Play Commission: ’99
OperaLab Fellow, Kent, England: ‘98
Franklin Furnace Peer Group Panel Judge–’94-’95
Franklin Furnace Emerging Artist Grant
MacDowell Colony; Edward Albee Foundation; Yaddo–Fellowship
Guest Artist–Syracuse University; Dartmouth College
New York Public Library–Guest Artist 1992
PUBLICATIONS
Walt (From Wilde About Whitman) THE BEST MEN’S STAGE MONOLOGUES 2020, Smith & Kraus, ‘21
Mickey (from Waiting for the Ball to Drop) THE BEST WOMEN’S STAGE MONOLOGUES 2020, Smith & Kraus, ‘21
Wilde About Whitman (full script): IDAHO REVIEW, 2018
Carla (from The Secret Of Life): THE BEST WOMEN’S STAGE MONOLOGUES OF 2018: Smith & Kraus, ‘18
Interviewee; ROCLIFFE NOTES : A PROFESSIONAL APPROACH TO BEING A WRITER; Farah Abushwesha, ‘14
Irene (From The Secret Of Life): BEST WOMEN’S MONOLOGUES OF THE MILLENNIUM, ‘07
Aunt PittiPat in the Tower: BEST MEN’S MONOLOGUES OF THE MILLENNIUM, ‘07
Wish Fulfillment: SHOWTIME’S ACT ONE FESTIVAL 1994, ONE-ACT PLAYS: Smith and Kraus, ’95
EDUCATION
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY, MountainView MFA in Creative Writing, June, 2017
AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER, Composer Librettist Development Program, 2010-11
WRITERS BOOTCAMP, Screenwriting, 2004-5
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: Bachelor of Science, Theatre, Class of ’83
ACTING: Neighborhood Playhouse, Sanford Meisner. Independently with Greg Zittel; Dan LaMorte; Anne Woodworth
GROUPS: Howl Playwrights; ASCAP; New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspects, Founding Member; Lark Theatre, Artist in Residence; Dramatists Guild; Writers’ Guild of America; Actors Studio; Franklin Furnace, Peer Selection Committee
FILM
MIKE’S MAKEOVER (Final Project, Writer’s Bootcamp)
NOBODY’S GIRL (Adapted screenplay)
OUT IN THE CITY (Documentary; featured interview)
WISH FULFILLMENT (short film-writer-director)
HANSEL AND GRETAL (adult horror screenplay)
PROM QUEEN (short film writer-director)
THE LEASE (Orig. screenplay feature length)
FREEFALL, (short film) dir. Lonny Price Ripfest Movie Musicals
TELEVISION
BLUE’S CLUES (Nickelodeon) “Ants’ episode
SAY UNCLE (Spec Pilot)
HORRIBLE HISTORIES (Scholastic Television)
TILT 23 1/2 (Staff Writer; FujiSankei TV)
NICKELODEON (writer in-house training video)
