MICHAEL JOHN MENDIOLA

Michael is a writer, playwright, and actor. Growing up in Alaska and ldaho, he eventually found his way to New York, where he spent 18 years writing and performing. Now living in Seattle with his husband, he’s grown to appreciate how a good cup of coffee and steady rain can fuel the creative process.

As a playwright, Michael’s first two full-length plays, The Book of Dorothy, based on the real-life events of activist Sister Dorothy Stang, and The Future’s So Bright, were semi-finalists for the O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference. As a dramaturg, his theatrical portfolio specializes in reimagined, nontraditional productions designed to provoke conversations both in the audience and the artistic community. 

He collaborated with Shannon Denise Evans on the play, Velvet Moon Chronicles, which was turned into a novel series with the first book, Velvet Moon Chronicles: The Leveling, a psychological-fantasy-thriller, having been published to rave reviews. Velvet Moon Chronicles was then turned into an award-winning, webisode series written and co-directed by Shannon Denise Evans and Michael. The second novel in the Velvet Moon Chronicles series, The Acceptance, is underway.

Recognizing the synergy of their creative partnership, Shannon and Michael went on to form Lamplighter Xlll and The Spicy Noodles as vehicles for their artistic endeavors. Together, they have co-created The Unreality of Roma Mason and are developing a long list of television series including The Shoemaker, Scrap Heap, Killer-Dorothy, Riding the Hood, Vargas Girl, Hollowlight, and Just Howard, among others.

Michael is a member of the Dramatists Guild and AEA, and serves on the board of The Project Solution, a nonprofit organization that provides small-scale funding for infrastructure projects to people in distressed areas of the world.