Carl Andress is an American theater and film director and producer whose credits include the world premieres of Charles Busch’s critically acclaimed comedies, such as: the award-winning The Confession of Lily Dare (Cherry Lane Theater with Primary Stages, Theater for the New City); The Tribute Artist (59E59 with Primary Stages); The Divine Sister (Soho Playhouse, Theater for the New City, Bucks County Playhouse, LA TheaterWorks); The Third Story starring Kathleen Turner (MCC Theater, La Jolla Playhouse);  Charles Busch's Cleopatra and Judith of Bethulia (Theater for the New City, GPR Records); Die! Mommie Die! (New World Stages, LA TheaterWorks); Queen Amarantha (WPA Theater); Bunnicula (DR2 Theater, TheaterWorks USA); and Shanghai Moon (Drama Dept., Bay Street Theater, Theater for the New City).

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Carl is also co-writer and co-director of the comedy feature film, The Sixth Reel, which premiered at OutFest Los Angeles in August 2021 (Winner! U.S. Narrative Feature - Ensemble Performance) and will be distributed by Wolfe Releasing. He is also the co-writer and costar of the independent feature, A Very Serious Person which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

 

Carl is the director of such plays as FAKE by Carmen Pelaez (Colony Theater, Miami New Drama), Still at Risk by Tim Pinckney (Theater for the City), Matthew Lombardo's Who's Holiday! starring Lesli Margherita (Westside Theater);  Joe Godfrey's Romance Language (Ars Nova); Crush the Infamous Thing - the Adventures of the Hollywood Four (Coconut Grove Playhouse); My Fair Lady (Tent Theater); Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet (Dorset Theater Festival); Carmen Pelaez's Rum & Coke (FringeNYC, Abingdon Theater); and Douglas Carter Beane’s The Cartells (Drama Dept.).

 

Other credits include the New York concert premieres of Kander, Ebb and McNally's musical, The Visit, starring Chita Rivera and John Cullum (Ambassador Theater); Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo’s A Wonderful Life (Shubert Theater); Charles Busch & Julie Halston Together on Broadway (Music Box Theater); Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (Actors Fund); The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife (Paper Mill Playhouse; Coconut Grove Playhouse; Royal Poinciana Playhouse); the annual Times Square Angel (Theater for the New City); It's Not My Fault, It Was On Fire When I Got There (FringeNYC, Theater for the New City); Tenderloin, Harold & Maude, I Love My Wife and The Mad Show (all for “Musicals in Mufti” – York Theater Co.); Here's to the Girls! and Being Comden & Green (Lyrics & Lyricists – 92nd Street Y); Valley of the Dolls and A Party for Comden & Green for The Actor’s Fund, the annual Broadway on the Boardwalk concert series in Atlantic City, and numerous galas and special events for organizations such as The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, Literacy Partners, The NFFR, Lincoln Center, Primary Stages, The Vineyard, Theater for the New City and The Entertainment Community Fund.

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Carl Andress is a proud recipient of the 2022 Einhorn Mentorship Award, given by Primary Stages and in 2023, he was named Artistic Director of the historic Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, CT. (/www.sharonplayhouse.org)