BIO
Award-winning stage and film director, Shira-Lee Shalit was chosen by Steven Spielberg out of 12,000 directors, as one of 18 Finalists for the Fox/DreamWorks TV show, "On The Lot.” While on the show, Shira-Lee wrote and directed 3 films: Check Out, Beeline and Open House, to critical acclaim from the judges: Garry Marshall, Carrie Fisher, David Frankel and Brett Ratner.
Her feature film debut, A-List, a comedy starring Academy Award Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK), Renee Taylor (The Nanny) and Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place) won the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival, the Gold Remy Award for Best Comedy at Worldfest Film Festival, and was an IFP Project Involve Awardee. Her first short film, Full Cycle, that she wrote and directed, was named a Regional Finalist in the Student Academy Awards. She also directed the award-winning short, Open Air, starring Lynn Cohen (Munich, The Hunger Games) which won Best Short Film at the NJ International Film Festival and Acefest, the Silver Award at the Mexico International Film Festival, Award Of Excellence at Accolades Film Awards, and screened at 50 film festivals.
Recent theatrical productions include the World Premiere of LAByrinth Theatre Company's Devil of Choice by Maggie Bofill (Cherry Lane Theatre), What's Wrong With You by Jan Rosenberg (Harold Clurman Lab Theatre), Any Other Name by Regina Taylor (PFAC), Nick and Zoe by Daniel Talbott (IRT Theatre & The Bridge Theatre), The Women of Padilla (AADA), Girls Will Be Girls by Jolie London Glickman (NY International Fringe Festival -winner Fringe Favorite), Fault Lines by Stephen Belber (TBG Theatre) and many more. Recent workshops include Lyle Kessler's Temptation and Other Sins (Planet Connections), Nathan Yungerberg's Evelyn Dreams of Horses (Judson), Halley Feiffer's How To Make Friends Then Kill Them (LAB Intensive Ensemble) and many staged readings at LaMama, Rattlestick, LAByrinth Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theatre, EST, The Actors Studio, Barefoot Theatre Company (Associate Artistic Director 2015-17), Nylon Fusion, Dixon Place, Vertigo Theatre, The Lark, Jewish Plays Project, NYMadness and the Writers Guild East Screenplay Series.
Born in South Africa and raised in Texas, Shira-Lee moved to NYC at 18. She was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award at the White House, and won the National Foundation Young Arts Award in Acting. She is a graduate of NYU (BFA) and Columbia University (MFA).
Proud member of Rising Phoenix Rep, The Actors Studio Playwright/Director Unit and NY Women in Film & TV, Shira-Lee is on faculty at Columbia University's Graduate Film Division and NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Her feature film debut, A-List, a comedy starring Academy Award Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK), Renee Taylor (The Nanny) and Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place) won the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival, the Gold Remy Award for Best Comedy at Worldfest Film Festival, and was an IFP Project Involve Awardee. Her first short film, Full Cycle, that she wrote and directed, was named a Regional Finalist in the Student Academy Awards. She also directed the award-winning short, Open Air, starring Lynn Cohen (Munich, The Hunger Games) which won Best Short Film at the NJ International Film Festival and Acefest, the Silver Award at the Mexico International Film Festival, Award Of Excellence at Accolades Film Awards, and screened at 50 film festivals.
Recent theatrical productions include the World Premiere of LAByrinth Theatre Company's Devil of Choice by Maggie Bofill (Cherry Lane Theatre), What's Wrong With You by Jan Rosenberg (Harold Clurman Lab Theatre), Any Other Name by Regina Taylor (PFAC), Nick and Zoe by Daniel Talbott (IRT Theatre & The Bridge Theatre), The Women of Padilla (AADA), Girls Will Be Girls by Jolie London Glickman (NY International Fringe Festival -winner Fringe Favorite), Fault Lines by Stephen Belber (TBG Theatre) and many more. Recent workshops include Lyle Kessler's Temptation and Other Sins (Planet Connections), Nathan Yungerberg's Evelyn Dreams of Horses (Judson), Halley Feiffer's How To Make Friends Then Kill Them (LAB Intensive Ensemble) and many staged readings at LaMama, Rattlestick, LAByrinth Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theatre, EST, The Actors Studio, Barefoot Theatre Company (Associate Artistic Director 2015-17), Nylon Fusion, Dixon Place, Vertigo Theatre, The Lark, Jewish Plays Project, NYMadness and the Writers Guild East Screenplay Series.
Born in South Africa and raised in Texas, Shira-Lee moved to NYC at 18. She was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award at the White House, and won the National Foundation Young Arts Award in Acting. She is a graduate of NYU (BFA) and Columbia University (MFA).
Proud member of Rising Phoenix Rep, The Actors Studio Playwright/Director Unit and NY Women in Film & TV, Shira-Lee is on faculty at Columbia University's Graduate Film Division and NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
