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.
