Matt Gehring is a New York–based director, educator, and creator specializing in comedy and performance .Over the last decade, he has directed 100+ shows spanning sketch comedy, solo performances, and musical theater, working with artists whose work has been seen from Joe’s Pub to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Highlights of his directing work include Harry Clarke, featuring Billy Crudup, written by David Cale (Berkeley Rep, assistant director to Leigh Silverman), Pop Roulette’s Amazing Earth featuring SNL’s Bowen Yang and comedian Matt Rogers, and Diane Shangri-La: Not Dry Yet with Last Week Tonight writer Chrissy Shackelford. At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he has directed Ellie Macpherson’s Happy Birthday, Mr. President (2022, Underbelly), Lane Kwederis, Salma Hindy & Danielle Deluty (2023), Alexis Gay (2024), and was dramaturg for Odds Are (2025). At Stagedoor Manor, he directed the pilot youth production of Shaina Taub’s Suffs.

With two-time Tony winner Shaina Taub, Matt created and directs SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy, a long-running musical comedy show at Upright Citizens Brigade that has featured guests including Jeff Hiller, Jenn Colella, and Nikki M. James. 

Matt developed and led the comedy residency at the Obie Award–winning Ars Nova, named CAMP (Comedy Artist Makers Program), supporting the next wave of comedic voices. CAMP served the New York comedy community for five years, producing 25 original plays. He currently serves as Comedy Division Director at Stella Adler and teaches at NYU Tisch, UCB, New York Film Academy, and Brooklyn College, guiding artists to develop their voices and bring new work to life. 

Originally from northeast Ohio, Matt moved to New York to study at NYU, where he performed in Hammerkatz alongside Rachel Bloom and Donald Glover and trained with visionary theater-maker Elizabeth Swados. He became a mainstay at Amy Poehler’s Upright Citizens Brigade, performing on numerous house teams, including the Maude Team Lover with Catherine Cohen. In 2017, he was selected for the prestigious Just For Laughs: New Faces Characters showcase, which led to roles in Amazon’s The Tick, Disney+’s The Big Fib, Netflix’s Set It Up, and Tim Robinson’s episode of The Characters, named a top ten sketch of the millennium by Variety. He also once played (and lost) charades with Jennifer Aniston on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

As a creator, Matt wrote and starred in At The Office Microwave, Comedy Central’s Digital Series, and was the lead writer for The Prom: Tonight Belongs to You, a Netflix live event hosted by Jonathan Van Ness. He was a writer and performer with Political Subversives, a musical sketch group with weekly sold-out shows at the People’s Improv Theater and regular MSNBC features. He holds a Screenwriting Certificate from NYU, and his original pilot, Tim and the Ancient School, was a finalist in the Screencraft Pilot Competition.

Matt is a longtime member of the Story Pirates, performing in schools across New York City and voicing characters on their award-winning podcast. He holds an MFA in Theater Directing from Brooklyn College, where he was a Shubert Scholar. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, Shaina.