Melissa Skirboll is an award winning director, writer, actor and producer and has been a strong presence in New York’s independent theater for the last 10 years. Her new film “My Dinner With Schwartzey” premiered at the Bermuda International Film Festival in March of 2019 and in the US at the Manhattan Film Fetival in April. As director co-writer and co-producer Skirboll is very excited to share this film with audiences worldwide.

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 20 festivals worldwide, “Tango” has garnered 3 wins and 6 nominations for directing, acting, writing and short film.

“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.

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/

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.

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The Spy Who Scratched Me

Costume Party final cut

The Spy Who Scratched Me

Melissa Skirboll

This video competed in 2019 Comedy Shorts Film Festival

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This video competed in
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