Macs: A Macaroni Requiem
Full-length comedy/drama
Cast size: 5 men, 3 women
MACS examines the story of an Italian-American family’s denial around the death of the youngest son. Through the course of a Sunday dinner, the suppressed family dynamics build to a head and explode during a furious word association “exorcism”, which forces the family to come together, accept the tragic death, and ultimately, embrace life and each other.
An 18 minute excerpt from a pilot for a new television series by myself and Antonio Mendez, my brilliant writing partner. Essentially our take on an updated AUNTIE MAME combined with Absolutely Fabulous. It was a fast fun weekend full of great energy and a loving tribute to my dad, who passed away the day before the shoot. It was a chance for Antonio and I to walk around in the world we were creating so we could see first hand what their world was like. We had a crew and cast of exceptionally talented and loving people working the entire weekend, and in some instances, through the summer. Have fun!
CREDITS
Written by: David Simpatico & Antonio Méndez
Executive Producers: David Simpatico & Antonio J. Méndez-CB
Directed and Produced by: Antonio J. Méndez-CB
Associate Producer: Joe Cicarella
Production Manager: Staci Levine
Script Supervisor: Friday Savathphoune
Assistant Director: Joe Cicarella
Sound: Carmine Picarello
Editing: Melissa Hacker and Joe Cicarella
Associate Director: David Simpatico
Slate: Rachel Biello
Grip-Gaffer: Mathew Everett
Still photography by Miguel Criscuolo and Nina Gandolfo
Production Assistants:
Rachael Evans
Mark Klaman
Production coordinators:
Brian Lewis
Ana Berrios-Criscuolo
Art Director: Matt Brown
Stylist/Wardrobe: Franco Lacosta
Make Up: Jameson Kirkland
CAST
Manny: Stephen Cabral
Frank: David Simpatico
Scotty: David Roth
John: Brendan Byrnes
Janey: Susan Kurowski
Virgil: Franco Lacosta
Gina: Lorenda Robinson*
Howard: Robert Ackerman
Desmond: Billy Flatley
Kenneth: Pedro Andrade
Enrico: Alexis Rios
Party People in the House:
Ana Berrios-Criscuolo
Migel Criscuolo
Ray Brahmi
Jared McQuire
Dayna Laurie Thompson
James Aita (Sharon Needles)
Rachel Biello
Roberto Buso
Eric Miller
Tom Wenstrom
Jared McGuire (party/fill-in)
THANK YOU
Robert Strickstein
Christopher Unruh
Jeff Kolsrud and Q Models
Molly Hagan
The Lark Theatre
Jaimie Finnegan
Joel Martin
Jane Young
John Jeffrey Martin
Michael Mahaney
Steve Fickinger
Ken Cerniglia
Jane Bernard
In Loving Memory of Anthony Simpatico
And rejoicing the lives of our nieces and nephews
to whom we also dedicate this piece:
Santiago, Ian, Senara, Gabriel, Nina, Steven, Daniella, Anthony, Andrea, Emma, Noah, Francis, Lauren, Ryan, Bridgette, Ian, Maura, Aeilish, Aiden, Elena, Cristina, Joaquim, Bea, John
Thanks to
Soo Hyun Chung
Alexandra Van Valkenberg
Broch Bertloff
Mary
Short full-length spiritual sex-comedy
Cast size: 2 men, 1 woman
A spiritual burlesque about the President, his Intern and a blow-job, which transforms into the story of God seducing Mary, and the creation of the new millennial savior. This time, Mary takes things into her own hands (sort of).
Nanna
Full-length comedy/drama, infused with magic realism
Cast size: 1 man, 3 women
An 88 year-old woman comes back from the dead to ensure the new millennial savior is conceived, but along the way, examines her own history of child abuse and the veracity of God in a chaotic universe. Part sex comedy, part Greek tragedy, NANNA uses black comedy to examine the intimate turmoil of intergenerational incest against the cosmic backdrop of western theology.
davidsimpatico@yahoo.com
Well, it’s been quite a while since I last put something in my blog, and since I’m now in the Roosevelt Hotel waiting for my friends to pick me up for dinner, I thought I’d just say what a momentous summer it’s been for me. Everything from the death of my father to leaving my day job to finally pursue writing full time, thanks to the guys at Disney and the successful tour of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. Tom Schumacher, Steve Fickinger, Ken Cerniglia, Rick Elyce….these gents gave me the chance to take the step I needed to change my life. And my composer/partner Bryan Louiselle, the brilliant man behind the music for the tour, who created two great new songs, is a constant source of inspiration and knowledge: what he doesn’t know about musical theatre structure (and plain old dramatic structure) doesn’t exist. Forever in their debt.In October, one of my other writing partners, Antonio Mendez, and I stayed in Amsterdam for three weeks of magic. Fantastic.And on top of all that, my husband Robert and I celebrated out 20th anniversary, and yes, in straight years, that’s about 96 years! He is the most exciting and intoxicating man I’ve ever met. And after 20 years, it is still getting better. Guess I’m in love, Ma! More anon some pics: 
The Secret of Life
4 Women, 2 Men
THE SECRET OF LIFE is a series of thematically interconnected monologues about people taking tiny, yet pivotal, steps forward in their lives. The very first piece, IRENE, has been published this year in the Applause anthology, BEST WOMEN’S MONOLOGUES OF THE MILLENNIUM. How’s that for a book title!?
Hope you enjoy.
Bad Blood
Full-length comedy/drama infused with magic realism
Cast size: 7 men, 2 women playing multiple parts
A Father visits a powerful psychic in order to call his son back from the dead to deal with unfinished business. With a structure inspired by Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL, this play uses liberal doses of magic realism to explore one man’s journey as he chooses between what he’s been taught, and what he truly wants: to love his son.
It has gone through many workshops and readings, and is looking for a production. Let me know what you think
Two high school girls discover the perfect diet…but at such a cost! Dark and funny, it goes where you least expect it to go.
This is the first movie I made, co-directed by Matt Brown. We had a blast and learned a lot in one weekend. This ain’t for the faint of heart, but I think it’s funny as hell.
Please note, no infants were harmed during the making of this film. Let me know what you think.
well, this could turn out to be an interesting outlet for warming up the juices in the morning. the creative ones, i mean. what is up with deniro as the gay pirate in startdust, half of the time he’s phoning it in and the other half he’s great because despite the fact that he’s phoning it in, he is still a gay pirate dressing up in ladies undergarments. glad he took the part since its not something i think he might normally do, but not all that satisfying.
this piece of exquisite art is by my sister in law tara, a cutout that houses tiny universes of silent curiouslity and secrets. i love it.
still getting the hang of blogging, does it just mean that i can pontificate or run on endlessly, like chatting about my lunch of cottage cheese and dried fibre yesterday, does that qualify as a blog? or should i write pithy self contained snppets, movie reviews, comments about herr bush, thoughts about theatre…im guessing a little of everything. but who reads this stuff? who even knows I am here, yelling into the wilderness? who cares?
hmmmmmmm
David Simpatico, Dramatist 