Melissa Skirboll is an award-winning director, writer, actor and producer.
With over 10 years of directing for theatre, Melissa turned her eye to film in 2016 with “Show & Tell Tango”. “Tango” premiered at the at the Västerås Film Festival in Sweden in September 2017. An official selection in 22 festivals worldwide, “Tango” has garnered 3 wins and 6 nominations for directing, acting, writing and short film.
Her short film MY DINNER WITH SCHWARTZEY premiered at the Bermuda International Film Festival and won best dramedy at the Manhattan Film Fest. Schwartzey has since screened in the UK and Italy and has been accepted in upcoming fests around the world.
The companion piece to “My Dinner with Schwartzey”, “Behind the Story: Schwartzey” which you can see here (https://vimeo.com/user41810540/behindthestoryschwartzey), was conceived and directed by Skirboll. It is a mockumentary “Behind the Music” style promo which provides a glimpse into the women at the heart of this story.
“The Spy Who Scratched Me” is a spy spoof created for the 48 Hour Film Challenge in NY. It premiered at the Västerås Film Festival in 2018 and continues its festival run with screenings worldwide. With 9 official selections to date, “Spy” has already garnered 5 nominations for directing, actress and comedy short.
Skirboll is a proud member of NYWIFT and SAG/AFTRA.
Her work in theater has been recognized with a number of nominations and awards: she’s won both the outstanding playwright award (for her play Blizzard: A Love Story) and outstanding direction (for her work on The Closet by Amy Gray Piper) at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, There, she has also been nominated for acting (in Blizzard: A Love Story) for direction on both Superstars by Glory Kadigan and Straight-Faced Lies by Mark Jason Williams, and for her projections/SFX on A Madness of One Acts.
She is a member of New York Madness, a director for the Women's Work Play Lab at New Perspectives Theatre and has directed for various companies including Nylon Fusion Theater Co, Urban Stages, Abingdon Theatre and Estrogenius Festival. Ego Actus, Abingdon Theatre, and Urban Stages have staged her plays here in New York.
With her producing company, LifeDream Productions, she produced the films mentioned above as well as festival runs of the plays “Hell is Where the Heart Is” (4 Nominations, 2 Wins), “Blizzard: A Love Story” (6 Nominations, 2 Wins), and “The Closet” (5 nominations, 1 Win).
Melissa also teaches acting for the Sande Shurin Acting Studio and works with individuals as a private coach.