Matt Gehring is a director, educator, and creator of comedy. Over the last decade, Matt has directed 100+ shows, spanning sketch comedy, solo performances, and musical theater. 

Highlights of directing 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 Last Week Tonight writer Chrissy Shackelford’s one-woman show Diane Shangri-La: Not Dry Yet. Over the last three years, Matt has directed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, beginning with Ellie Macpherson’s Happy Birthday, Mr. President (2022, Underbelly) and following with Lane Kwederis and the duo Salma Hindy & Danielle Deluty in 2023, and Alexis Gay this past summer in 2024

With Two-time Tony winner Shaina Taub (Suffs), Matt created and directs SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy, which has featured special guests including Jeff Hiller, Jenn Colella, and Nikki M. James. Matt is currently pursuing his MFA in Theater Directing at Brooklyn College in the class of 2025.

After transplanting to New York from northeast Ohio, Matt cut his teeth as a writer/performer in Hammerkatz, NYU’s premiere sketch comedy group, alongside Rachel Bloom and Donald Glover. While at school, he studied with downtown theater legend Elizabeth Swados, whom he worked with as a teacher and associate director for many years. Soon after graduating, Matt rose through the ranks at Amy Pohler’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater to become part of numerous running shows and house teams, including the Maude Team Lover with Catherine Cohen. In 2017, he was selected for the prestigious Just for Laughs: New Faces Montreal Character showcase, which led to roles in Amazon’s The Tick, Disney Plus’s The Big Fib, Netflix’s acclaimed rom-com Set It Up and a memorable appearance in 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 from Queer Eye. For years, Matt wrote for and performed in Political Subversives, a musical sketch comedy group with popular weekly shows at the People’s Improv Theater, and regular features on MSNBC. He holds a Screenwriting Certificate from NYU and his original television pilot Tim and the Ancient School was a finalist in the Screencraft Pilot Competition. 

Matt has worked as an educator in many capacities - teaching Improvisation (Tisch School of the Arts), Writing for Actors (NYFA, Playwrights Horizons Theater School), and Sketch Writing and Acting for Sketch (UCB). As a comedy writing coach, he has built a robust roster of clients through his independent business Page to People. Matt is also a longtime member of the Story Pirates, an arts education company that takes the words and ideas of kids and turns them into musical comedy shows. He has performed and led workshops in countless New York City schools with the Story Pirates and has been featured as a voice actor on their award-winning podcast.

Matt is passionate about creating community for comedians, and in partnership with the Obie-Winning theater company Ars Nova, he co-created CAMP, the Comedy Artist Makers Program. CAMP is a groundbreaking residency for comedians in New York City, providing resources, development, and a one-night performance.

Matt lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, Shaina.