Joe Simonelli

Joe Simonelli is an American playwright. He first began his career as the resident playwright for First Avenue Playhouse in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. His most notable published works are Men Are Dogs, Ladies in Lingerie and Heaven Help Me, all published with leading play publisher, Samuel French Inc. (Concord Theatricals).

His popular valentines opus With This Ring is with Stage Rights (Broadway Publishing).

Simonelli grew up in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York, where his father, Phillip, was a local orchestra leader. Joe was exposed to Broadway at an early age as his parents encouraged him and his four siblings to attend the theatre. Starting at the age of seven, Joe saw such stars as Danny Kaye in Two by Two and Katharine Hepburn in Coco. Simonelli appeared on stage as early as the second grade beginning, with elementary school productions at St. Patrick’s Grammar School, until his senior year at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, when he was featured as one of the Jets in West Side Story. Forty years later he played the role of Lt. Schrank in an equity production on Staten Island, New York,

Simonelli didn’t seriously get into theatre and writing until the age of forty, when he tried out for a local community theatre production in New Jersey. Shortly thereafter he started writing plays and submitting them around New York City and Los Angeles.

Although known for his popular comedies such as Men are Dogs and Old Ringers, which get performed regularly around the United States, Canada and the UK, Simonelli also writes across theatrical genres. He has written a popular musical about internet dating titled Romance dot com and his ghost story thriller The Ghost in the Meadow, and has had many professional and amateur performances, most notably an extended run at The State Theatre of Virginia, (The Barter), an old line LORT venue.

Simonelli is a full member of the Dramatist Guild of America and is represented by KM Creative Agency. His legal representative in Los Angeles is Gary DaSilva. Mr. DaSilva remarked when asked about his relationship with Mr. Simonelli. “I represent such notable playwrights as Neil Simon and Larry Gelbart. I find Joe Simonelli to be in good company with his more famous counterparts.”

Joe currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida.

On the acting side, Simonelli currently appears in the role of Mr. Wormwood in Matilda the Musical at Fort Myers Theatre, which followed his appearance in the role of Bob in Men Are Dogs. He also played Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis the Musical at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.

For more, please visit http://joesimonelli.net.

May 14, 2024; updated June 8, 2024.