Melissa James Gibson is a Canadian-born
playwright based in New York.
Life
The child of former
BC LiberalMLAGordon Gibson and journalist Valerie Gibson, Melissa James Gibson grew up in North Vancouver.[1] She graduated from
Columbia University and from the
Yale School of Drama with an M.F.A. in Playwriting. After graduating, she worked as a college counselor at the exclusive arts-oriented
Saint Ann's School in
Brooklyn Heights, where her daughter, Celia Frey, graduated in 2017 and her son, Griffin Frey, is a current sophomore.[2] She is working on commissions for the
La Jolla Playhouse and The Adirondack Theatre Festival. She has received fellowships from the Jerome Foundation and the
MacDowell Colony.[3]The New York Times theatre critic
Charles Isherwood wrote that, with her play This, Gibson “graduates into the theatrical big leagues with this beautifully conceived, confidently executed and wholly accessible work.”
[1]
She subsequently wrote episodes for The Americans and House of Cards, before joining Endeavor Content in an overall deal.[4]
^Del Signore, John.
"Playwright Melissa James Gibson Discusses What Rhymes With America", Gothamist, December 26, 2012. "I was a college counselor for many years at a private school in Brooklyn, St. Ann's. It's a wonderful school, really cool school. I was there pretty much since graduate school, other than two fellowship years."