Simona DeFeo is an actor, writer and producer based in New York City. Ms. DeFeo has been working with AnomalousCo since 2021, and has been a Co-Producing Artist since early 2022. Simona strives to mine the human condition by creating theatrical works that catalyze a profound confrontation with audience members, creators, and performers with themselves while fusing music, text, and movement.
As a performer, she’s worked in the USA, Cuba, Germany and Italy. A sample of her credits include stage performances as the lead character in the world premier staging of Diary of a Thought, Theater of Words written and directed by Bina Sharif in New York City. Simona also performed as the lead in Muhammad Bilal’s short film, Deadly Choice and in supporting roles in various television shows such as Lady MacDuff in ACTORS ON: MACBETH, released by Films Media Group in NYC hosted by Alan Stanford. She performed in the world premiere of Alon Nechushtan’s staged musical – Secret Codes in New York and in numerous dance theatre productions by Oriki Omi Oddara, an Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble based in New York.
As a playwright, her play The Skies Within was part of the 2018 Primitive Grace Duende Series. Ms. DeFeo translated Graduation Day written by prolific Italian dramatist, Giovanni Meola and her poetry has been published by Whirlwind Magazine. Simona is a native speaker in Italian, English, and Campania regional dialects. Simona was invited as an emerging dramatist to the Venice Theatre Biennale in 2016.
As a producer, she co-founded and artistically directed The Concert Meister Series in New York featuring principal instrumentalists from New York Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, La Suisse Romande and many others coupled with new compositions and performance of her poetry. In 2010, as a significant act of cultural diplomacy between USA and Cuba, Simona was the visionary of the performance and recording of the Brahms First Piano Concerto with American/Israeli Conductor, Yoel Gamzou, and Concert Pianist, Elisha Abas with The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba at Teatro Amadeo Roldan in Havana, Cuba. Her poetry was published as part of the recording. She is a playwright and actor with Primitive Grace Theater Ensemble in New York founded and artistically directed by Paul Calderon and David Zayas. She is also Head of Creative Development and Impact for Serafini Releasing, a female led film studio focused on equality behind and in-front of the camera.
She studied acting at Temple University and in New York studied independently with Robert Modica, Austin Pendleton, Paul Calderon, and Cathy Calderon and playwriting and dramaturgy with Mark Ravenhill, Simon Stephens and Eva Voightlander. She studied Afro-Cuban dance with Felix “Pupy” Insua and his teacher, Juan de Dios, founder of The National Folkloric Ballet of Cuba and principal dancers of Yoruba Andabo in Havana, Cuba.
Prior to dedicating herself to her artistic work, Simona worked as a trusted advisor helping executives transform their organizations and manage data risk. Her clients have included Citi, Goldman Sachs, UBS, Credit Suisse, J&J, MUFG, HSBC, American Express and many others.
