About Melanie

Melanie is interested in writing selfish, messy women in pieces that explore our relationship with the planet. She looks up to and is inspired by writers Annie Baker, Rachel Tunnard, Sharon Horgan, Issa López, Duncan Macmillan and the filmmakers Steve McQueen and Francis Lee.

What’s New

Time is a Color and the Color is Blue is published! Head over to the Understudy in Andersonville or buy it online here.

Bio

Melanie Coffey grew up on the Connecticut coast, where she spent her days reading, writing and traveling with her family. She attended Long Island University, Post, where she produced and directed films, wrote screenplays about art thieves (The Left-light Bias), satyrical plays about politics (Politically Immature, Rifle Range Theater, 2017) and graduated early with an Honors BFA in Film. After college she worked as a Curatorial Assistant on the exhibition “Past is Not Post”, in Oldenburg, Germany.

Living in Brooklyn, Melanie focused on art films and experimental filmmaking (Dear You/Love, Me, The 3 Minute Project), shooting and digitizing DV tapes from her 1996 camcorder. She also started writing and producing short plays around Manhattan (I Liked You 5 Minutes Ago, Questions I Have Before You Leave).

Melanie currently lives in Chicago, where she graduated from Northwestern University in 2020, earning her MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage. She is an ensemble member and grant specialist for Theatre l’Acadie, an ensemble member of Avalanche Theater and a member of the Ice Core Collective. She is also a member of the Chicago Dramatist’s Guild and the Playwrights’ Center. Her plays can be found on New Play Exchange.

(Photos by Eileen T. Meslar)