Melissa Moschitto

Melissa Moschitto

Melissa Moschitto (she/her) is a director, playwright and producer advancing the form of research-based investigative theatre. She is the Founding Artistic Director of The Anthropologists, a theatre company dedicated to the creation of devised theatre that inspires action. Her dynamic, kinetic work has been seen at HERE, The New Ohio, Dixon Place, and she has been an artist-in-residence at Abrons Arts Center....
Melissa Moschitto (she/her) is a director, playwright and producer advancing the form of research-based investigative theatre. She is the Founding Artistic Director of The Anthropologists, a theatre company dedicated to the creation of devised theatre that inspires action. Her dynamic, kinetic work has been seen at HERE, The New Ohio, Dixon Place, and she has been an artist-in-residence at Abrons Arts Center. Favorite projects with The Anthropologists include the 2021 World Premiere of No Pants In Tucson for which she received a 2020 NYC Women’s Fund Grant ("charismatic, endearing, and raw."- Culture Catch) as well as Artemisia’s Intent (Winner of Best Solo Drama, Frigid 2018), No Man’s Land (''Perhaps it’s exactly what theatremakers need to see right now,” Theater Is Easy) and Give Us Bread (“thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking” by nytheatre.com). Melissa cut her teeth in the physical theatre world as a directing apprentice to Ricardo Iniesta, director of Compania Atalaya in Sevilla, Spain, where she assisted with the World Premiere of Medea, La ​E​xtranjera (2004). She later trained with the Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies, Liz Lerman’s Dance Exchange, SITI Company, the La Mama Umbria International Directors Symposium and most recently with the legendary Odin Teatret in Denmark. She has led devising workshops for Hofstra University, University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and University of Evansville. Melissa holds a B.A. in Theater from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is married to an engineer-slash-secret-dramaturg and the mother of two dramatic children. She resides and works in Upper Manhattan on the ancestral land of the Lenape.

Plays

  • Baked Goods
    A search for a missed connection. A bizarre natural disaster involving cookies. A viral marketing plan. Unconventional approaches to therapy. Whose to say what we're really doing in a coffee shop? It really all comes down to baked goods. A short play for one actor.
  • The Understudies
    Two pre-teens are in perpetual rehearsal for their understudy roles, trying to grow up and waiting for their opportunity to shine.

    The Understudies as an exploration of the determination and perseverance needed to create a life in the arts. It's also a window into the lives of two young women who were forced, in different ways, to grow up far faster than their peers, to quite different effects.

Recommended by Melissa Moschitto

  • On the Evolutionary Function of Shame
    23 May. 2024
    Engrossing, starkly funny, inventive and beautifully rendered. I saw a production of this provocative play at Columbia. Mindell nimbly keeps turning challenging questions around and around again, spiraling closer to truth. All of the characters were rendered fully dimensional and complex. I also really appreciated the centering of a pregnant trans man. Beautiful work.
  • Behind the Smile
    24 Jan. 2024
    I was lucky enough to catch an excellent performance of this snappy, high paced, cerebral comedy. This fresh and genuinely funny ensemble ten-minute play has flexible casting and seems like it could be staged in any number of venues. This script gets the premiere spot in the matrix on the back of the New Yorker: perfectly situated between high brow and low brow. I loved it!
  • The Great Lesbian Love of Eve Adams
    11 Dec. 2023
    Immediately charming and engaging! I love the energy and vivacity of the characters and felt immediately transported to 1920s New York. Based on a true history (that I wasn't aware of!), I really appreciated the emphasis on Jewish women. This is a great ensemble piece with equal parts heart and grit.
  • Improvisational Conversation #2974 (Brenda Moore)
    6 Dec. 2023
    This chilling two-hander poses provocative questions about artificial intelligence, memory and the body. It strikes an effective balance between philosophical exploration and unexpected humor. I appreciated how Loewenstern convincingly explores AI's capacity to be sentient. Watch out, humans!
  • The Pyramid
    6 Dec. 2023
    This play is such delicious fun! The dialogue is fiercely funny and moves along at a quick pace. Each character has a well-defined voice and together, they create an enticing ensemble. I found myself reading the dialogue out loud with delight. Insidious and insightful - these girls are definitely going to take over the world. ;)