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Born in a rough steelworker town in Western Pennsylvania, David had your average idyllic American childhood. He attended Auburn University on a baseball
scholarship with dreams of someday going pro, and had a stellar college sports career, highlights of which include going five for five off future big leaguer
Jimmy Key. In 1982 he left Auburn with a marketing degree that he has yet to formally put into practice. A deep aversion to the idea of wearing a suit for the
rest of his life drove him home to Pennsylvania after college where he explored the community theater scene for one summer before packing up and moving to NYC
to study seriously.
David joined 29th St. Rep in 1990, after the requisite starving
actor years during which he lived a spartan existence at the
West Side YMCA and honed his craft. He has acted in twenty-five
productions with the company and brings to his roles a physical,
visceral quality that he attributes to his athletic background.
He readily admits that his taste in plays can be "brutal." David
is most noted for the title roles in KILLER JOE and BOBBY SUPREME,
the latter in which he menaced his audiences and his co-stars
as perhaps the most evil comedian who has ever lived. In April 2008 he was seen as "Harry Caul" in the NYC premiere of THE CONVERSATION. Other
memorable appearances include the NYC premieres of KILLERS and
NECKTIE BREAKFAST (1991), PICK UP AX (1996), AVENUE A (1999),
IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST REVISITED (2004) and LENNY & LOU
(2006), a stirring revival of FOOL FOR LOVE (2002) and HIGH
PRIEST OF CALIFORNIA (2003). Outside of 29th Street, David has
had the honor of understudying the roles of "Biff" and "Happy"
in DEATH OF A SALESMAN and "Lee" and "Austin" in TRUE WEST,
though he lamentably was never called upon to take the stage
in either production. He also appeared as "Gerard Petosky" on
television's gritty crime series, Law and Order, but can best
be remembered for his turn as "Coach Goodwin" on The Sopranos
when he made "AJ" captain of the football team.
David also directed HIDING BEHIND COMETS at 29th St Rep (2005). A critical success, this was his initial foray into the director's chair. May it not be his last.
David is proud to be the Artistic Director of 29th St. Rep,
what he calls "one of the few true acting ensembles in this
city." He is fortunate to have been with the love of his life,
Carol, for twenty-four wonderful years.
E-mail David
David Mogentale in Bobby Supreme 1998
Photographed by Isaac Rivadeneira
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