“Melissa is a dream to work with. Whether she was performing for an audience of 200 or 4,000, she won hearts with her spunky charm. Her poise, quiet dignity, humility, and wisdom makes it easy to forget that she is still at the beginning of her career.”
Melissa Mahoney is an actor, singer, musician, teacher, and clown based in New York City.
She has worked with Hudson Valley Shakespeare across multiple seasons, appearing in classical works, world premieres, and musicals, including Dave Malloy’s Octet and Luis Quintero’s Medea: Re-Versed (Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominee). Her New York theatre work includes title roles with Atlantic Theater Company ("with spunk to spare," says the New York Times of her performance in The Pirate La Dee Da), as well as Ars Nova, 59E59, The Bushwick Starr, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Melissa is also a solo performer (Melissa Mahoney is a Robot), a voice actor (featured in the musical fiction podcast It Makes a Sound), and a hospital clown with the Healthy Humor Red Nose Docs.
Melissa has served as an adjunct instructor at NYU Tisch and a faculty member of the Atlantic Acting School, teaching classes that focus on radical presence, clowning, and play. She also works as a private coach for students of all ages and experience levels.
When she’s not performing, Melissa can be found weightlifting, thrift shopping, overanalyzing Stanley Kubrick Ari Aster films, or expanding her (eclectic) musical horizons.
““Melissa is a talent and a force to be reckoned with. Any artist will have to decide whether to be intimidated or inspired by her.””