Michael Catangay

     I was born in Queens, New York and raised in New Jersey.  My father is from the Philippines, and my mother is of European descent with roots in the South and Northeast. When I brought friends over to the house, I always had that Arnold Drummond moment when my dad got home from work. Google the show, "Diff'rent Strokes" and you'll see what I mean.  Although I'm half-Filipino, I was brought up primarily Italian from my mother's side.  I have an older brother and a younger brother.  Say what you will about the middle child, I've heard it all.

      I started writing in grammar school; silly little skits with my classmates. The VCR was a new phenomenon, and I was clearly influenced by the movies and television shows of my day. I also wrote poems and lyrics (mostly about being a big rock star). I was a child of MTV and the Sony Walkman.

      I went to parochial school, and I wore a tie from kindergarten through 8th grade. Begrudgingly, I attended an all boys high school and of course, still wore a tie.  I felt awkward in a t-shirt and jeans when I sat in my first class as a freshman in college. I was in shock sitting next to women in the classroom, but I managed.  I went to The University of Hartford, CT my freshman year but transferred to The University of Miami, FL.  I graduated with a BS in Advertising/Minor in Marketing and a BA in Theatre Performance.

       I also was the Co-Artistic of Deuce Theatre, an experimental theatre company that wrote and produced original material. I have co-written several critically acclaimed and audience favorite plays.  In addition, I've written six one-act plays and was entrusted to co-write a companion piece for the South of Broadway's, Southeastern World Premier of John Millington Synge's 1911 classic, The Playboy of The Western World.