Anthony Wilkinson

A born and raised New York native, Anthony Wilkinson is a graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences for English and Creative Writing. He started his career as an intern writer at ABC daytime’s One Life To Live in 1996, and during his 14 years there, he worked his way up to the position of Associate Director. While in that position, he earned three Daytime Emmy Awards and was a four-time recipient of the Directors Guild of America Award.

Anthony’s original production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding started his other passion in the theatre world when it opened off-Broadway in 2003 at the Actor’s Playhouse and later moved to Theatre Four in the spring of 2004. In 2006, Anthony wrote and starred as “Rio La Rocca” in the off-Broadway production of Boys Just Wanna Have Fun. Anthony restaged My Big Gay Italian Wedding in September of 2009 at the St. George Theatre for an audience of almost 2,000 people. After much discussion and huge debates with regards to the topic, its rave reviews and success prompted an explosive revival on Restaurant Row with a full out Equity cast in April of 2010. The run was expected to last six weeks, and extended 14 times in the same location. During the run, the show hosted some major celebrities in efforts to help raise money and awareness for marriage equality and the Trevor Project. Aside from New York City, the show has already played in multiple cities in the US as well as Edinburgh, London, Vancouver, Hong Kong and parts of France.

In June 2013, Anthony opened the sequel to My Big Gay Italian Wedding, My Big Gay Italian Funeral. The funeral ran for over two years at St. Luke’s Theater in New York City and has also been licensed in multiple locations by Samuel French. Wilkinson’s next chapter to the trilogy, My Big Gay Italian Midlife Crisis, opened at the Theater Center off-Broadway in November 2015. Anthony originated the role of Anthony Pinnunziato, a spin-off of his real life persona, and continues to play him on stage. Anthony currently resides back in his hometown of Staten Island, where his passion project has been speaking to numerous schools about anti-bullying and tolerance. He has already spoken to a number of public schools in the tristate area.