Archive for the 'Posts' Category

23
Oct
26

DAVID SIMPATICO OCTOBER NEWSLETTER 10/26

Autumn in New York and the UK

Hi, friends. I hope this finds you enjoying the fantastic fall foliage gracing us in the Hudson Valley this year! I’m happy to share that I have several exciting projects going on at the moment.

In November, the staged reading of THE LAST SUPPER, a grand guignol love story. Sydnie Grossberg Ronga and Round the Bend Theater are holding this staged reading as a fundraiser for a full production. The cast is loaded with the local stars of the Hudson Valley theater community! https://www.centerforperformingarts.org/whats-playing/the-last-supper

In December, I’m off to England, where I have three separate productions up at the same time.

DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is having a spectacular 20th anniversary immersive production that takes place entirely on the basketball court, including audience seating. The team at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre, co-director/producers Joseph Houston and William Whelton, have created a highly entertaining revival. https://www.disneytickets.co.uk/high-school-musical-tickets

Opera Holland Park is producing my oratorio adaptation of DICKENS’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, with a soaring, emotional score by Will Todd. This is the third straight year they are producing it at the historic Cadogan Hall, Sunday, Dec. 13 at 5pm. https://operahollandpark.com/productions/a-christmas-carol-2/

And up in Leeds, Opera North is producing a larger scale production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL Dec 18-24th. I can’t wait to see both productions, they are going to be quite different. https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/a-christmas-carol/

Stay healthy and happy as we wend our way to the new year!

Much love. David.

02
Oct
26

The Last Supper is coming….

AWARD-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT DAVID SIMPATICO BRINGS TIMELY ZOMBIE POLITICAL EPIC TO RHINEBECK FOR HIGH-TENSION POST-ELECTION CATHARSIS

Rhinebeck, NY — Just a few days after one of the most highly anticipated and fraught elections in modern history, Round the Bend Theater will present a special, immersive staged reading of The Last Supper: A Zombie Political Epic. Written by award-winning playwright David Simpatico (High School Musical stage version, The Screams of Kitty Genovese) and directed by Sydnie Grosberg Ronga, this dark comedy grand guignol love story will take the stage at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck,  on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

The event serves as a critical fundraiser to propel the play into a full, upcoming production. While The Last Supper delivers a massive dose of immersive undead fun, its narrative strikes a deep chord for this exact moment in American culture. Utilizing the beloved horror framework of a zombie apocalypse, Simpatico’s play explores a grand guignol love story at the end of the world, asking a vital question: When everything falls apart, what do we owe one another?

“With the upcoming elections, national tensions are incredibly high and fraught,” says Simpatico. “This moment is absolutely perfect for this kind of explosive catharsis, where we can experience laughter and screaming all at once in a shared theater. To be completely honest, I think this piece is just what the country needs right now—says me, and you can quote me!”

Round the Bend Theater invites the local community to step out of the post-election anxiety and into the theater for a night of brilliant storytelling, dark humor, and collective relief. The outrageous cast includes Lora Lee Ecobelli, Chantez Engleit, Norm Magnusson, Rick Meyer, James Occhino, Nicole Quinn, Phoenix Ra, Jared Reinmuth, John Remington, Bill Solley, Vinnie Velez and Emily Woolever.

All the info:

THE LAST SUPPER: A GRAND GUIGNOL LOVE STORY
by David Simpatico

Saturday, November 7, 2026 · 7:30 PM

Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck — Main Stage

$15 Fundraiser

Proceeds support efforts to mount The Last Supper as a full production in the Hudson Valley.

Presented by Round The Bend Theater, with the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck.

25
Sep
24

THE LAST SUPPER

THE LAST SUPPER
A new play by David Simpatico

The guests are late, the grid is on the fritz, and sirens blast out dire warnings of impending doom as recently deceased corpses rise from the grave as UNDEAD CANNIBALS, devouring  humans and spreading the ZOMBIE VIRUS. The desperate survivors band together in the flux of what’s real and unreal, fighting for their lives against the undead, against the machines, and against each other. This aggressive black comedy explores the Great Replacement Theory to its logical, self-destructive ends.

First public reading on
Sunday, Oct. 20
3pm, $5
Stissing Center, Pine Plains

10
Jan
23

Live Streaming free Thursday Jan 12 7pm

THAT HELL-BOUND TRAIN
A new American opera

LIVE-STREAMED! FREE! Thursday, Jan 12 at 7pm.
(The link for the live-stream will be sent out on Thursday afternoon, I’ll post it on my FB page, or I can send it to you directly if you prefer.)

Score by Lisa DeSpain

Libretto by David Simpatico

Based on a short story by Robert Bloch.

It’s THAT HELL-BOUND TRAIN week!

Book your seat on THAT HELL-BOUND TRAIN – livestream.

This THURSDAY night, 7pm EST

Featuring: Ryan Hurley, Grace Kahl, Tesia Kwarteng, Rocky Sellers, Samuel White and Tiana White, all under the music direction of Scott Ethier! Thanks also to dramaturg, Cori Ellison.

Special thanks to Samuel White and Ryan Hurley, for their contributions in creating the trailer.

16
Dec
22

Chronogram covers Wilde About Whitman

A nice preview about the upcoming reading of WILDE ABOUT WHITMAN at the Stissing Center on Sunday, Dec.18, 3pm; thanks to Sparrow and Chronogram for the lovely article. Thanks to Local Produce for including this piece in their line-up.

The staged reading is directed by Sydnie Grosberg Ronga, and features Steven Patterson as Walt Whitman, and Joshuah Partriarco as Oscar Wilde.

15
Dec
22

The Dramatist magazine: Ten Questions

Here is a link to an interview in The Dramatist Guild Magazine: Ten Questions.

Enjoy!

23
Nov
22

REV. JIMMY’S LAKE OF FIRE, a finalist at the Hear Me Out Monologue Festival

Come watch me perform my monologue, REV. JIMMY’S LAKE OF FIRE, as one of 13 finalists from a group of writers from around the world.

I perform on Monday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 PM, but one ticket will get you in to both nights.

See the link below for tickets and info.

https://www.hearmeoutmonologues.com/competition-2022

21
Nov
22

WILDE ABOUT WHITMAN at the Stissing Center

Pencil this in! Sunday, Dec 18, 3PM: a reading of WILDE ABOUT WHITMAN, with Steven Patterson as Walt Whitman, and Joshuah Patriarco as Oscar Wilde, directed by Sydnie Grosberg Ronga.

“On January 18, 1882, the young, untested wannabe-writer Oscar Wilde, 27, and the elder-poet-pauper Walt Whitman, 62, spent three hours together behind closed doors in Whitman’s home in Camden, New Jersey. WILDE ABOUT WHITMAN is the story, equal parts historical record and theatrical conjecture, of what they might have said, and done, behind those closed doors.”

Directions to the Stissing Center in Pine Plains, NY

29
May
22

TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL In-Process Part One

TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL

Music/Lyrics by Michael Holland; Book by David Simpatico; adapted by the original play by Reginald Rose; directed by Peter Rothstein at Theater Latte Da.

Go behind the scenes of TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL as we hear about this world premiere’s journey in its development to the stage from the creative team and the cast. Learn more about the themes explored in this new musical adaptation and why it’s story is so relevant today.

Tickets available at Latteda.org. #twelveangrymen#theatermusically #worldpremiere#theaterlatteda

;

31
Mar
22

ROBERT: I’ll be reading my monologue, ROBERT, in Some1Speaking Festival, Monday, April 4th at 6pm

I’ll be reading my monologue ROBERT on Monday, April 4th as part of Some1Speaking, the monthly monologue festival run by Roland Tec. Five writers reading their own work. It’s a terrific series, come check it out! See the first comment for Ticket Info, and remember to select Monday, April 4. See you there!

Here’s the link for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/some1speaking-the-art-of-monologue-tickets-119119837641?fbclid=IwAR2mRN_CMigfzy_KPFN8ui4NnpIv7doU8kD5uPYLgn_w78yqS2UI5pCxjTM




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