Melanie Notinger
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Shaped by a childhood gender-bending in theatres of suburban Dallas, Melanie (she/they) found freedom challenging the gender binary early. Her latest short film, Dress Code, screened at festivals internationally including NewFest and Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival (2021 Audience Award). Starring Lauren Lane (The Nanny), NBC film critic Manny dela Rosa described the film as "a smart and affecting look at gender identity and representation." Dress Code is featured on NoBudge and Vimeo Staff Channel: LGBTQIA+ Voices.
Melanie used to do stand-up in Austin for audiences of 10 people max, defining her voice after coming out as queer in the South. Working as a bar host at the time, daydreaming at the host stand paid off when she got the idea to write, direct, and star as a severely anxious comedian in her debut short, Choke Artist (Lighthouse International Film Festival). Upon moving to New York, she co-wrote and played 7 erratic roles in Brooklyn No-Names Off-Broadway - awarded Best Script at the 2018 SheNYC Festival at the Connelly Theater.
Melanie is an alum of Joan Scheckel's Filmmaking Series (Action Lab). She graduated Cum Laude with a B.F.A. in Acting from Texas State University, where she also got her start as a playwright and where her first full-length play, Burning and Dodging, was produced. Melanie is working on a feature psychodrama about young actors discovering their boundaries in devastating ways. She lives in Los Angeles. melanienotinger.com.
Melanie used to do stand-up in Austin for audiences of 10 people max, defining her voice after coming out as queer in the South. Working as a bar host at the time, daydreaming at the host stand paid off when she got the idea to write, direct, and star as a severely anxious comedian in her debut short, Choke Artist (Lighthouse International Film Festival). Upon moving to New York, she co-wrote and played 7 erratic roles in Brooklyn No-Names Off-Broadway - awarded Best Script at the 2018 SheNYC Festival at the Connelly Theater.
Melanie is an alum of Joan Scheckel's Filmmaking Series (Action Lab). She graduated Cum Laude with a B.F.A. in Acting from Texas State University, where she also got her start as a playwright and where her first full-length play, Burning and Dodging, was produced. Melanie is working on a feature psychodrama about young actors discovering their boundaries in devastating ways. She lives in Los Angeles. melanienotinger.com.
