Let’s work together.
need a director for your original comedy piece or solo show idea? want creative coaching, consulting, or accountability? want to hire me as a teaching artist in the performing arts? email me at emilyolcott@gmail.com.
my experience: i’ve directed comedy and solo shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Hollywood Fringe (nominations Top of Fringe, Best Solo Theater), Dynasty Typewriter (LA), UCB NY & LA, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, The Stissing Center, Ars Nova, Provincetown Theater, Under St. Mark’s, Chicago’s Theater Wit, OperaFest LA, Cold Spring Chapel, Littlefield, The Bell House, The PIT, 59E59, and in countless national venues. i’ve also been a teaching artist for The Story Pirates, the Chautauqua Institution, and CO/LAB.
my style: using my decades of training as a comedian, actor, and dancer, and fascination with embodiment and spirituality practices to inform my approach to process, i believe in creating a safe space in which artists can take risks, play, and deepen their relationship to themselves and their work. i love working on the axis of physical comedy and absurdity, as well as on the axis of text precision and deep connection to presence and truth. above all else, i strive to “follow the fun” in any rehearsal container, in order to unlock the most free and embodied version of an artist's performance. i love to nurture and support AND have a great time doing the work.
the latest: just got back from Edinburgh Fringe 2026!!!! what a whirlwind. here’s what Edinburgh had to say about Brendan Scannell: THE ABYSS.
