Melody Gunter received a Ph.D. in Theatre Studies from the University of Essex in England. Her doctoral thesis focused on movement in playwriting. In addition, she received a M.A. in Contemporary Theatre and Practice from the University of Essex. Her undergraduate work was completed at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she received a B.A. in Theatre Arts, with an emphasis in Lighting Design.

During the eight years Melody spent in England, she wrote a number of plays: What the Sun and Moon Saw (2010), was a children’s play included in her doctoral work; Dance Me, Paint Me and Only One Way, were movement plays performed at the University of Essex in 2005; and Entertainment Purposes Only, was performed at the University of Essex in 2006.

Melody has been teaching Theatre Arts in the California Community College System for almost ten years. During that time she has acted as a mentor to students wishing to fulfill a role in a theatrical production, and most especially as a mentor to aspiring Lighting Designers. Her work with students led her to be named Adjunct Faculty of the Year at Crafton Hills College in 2019.

Melody is a lifetime Honorary Member of the Royal Air Force Theatrical Association in England. She served as Lighting Designer on their production of Oklahoma! in 2003. Locally, she has also worked with the Redlands Theatre Festival, where they presented her with an award for Outstanding Theatre Technician in 2014, for her multiple Lighting Designs that season.

Melody is originally from Southern California, and grew up in Orange County. She began her time on the stage as a dancer, and was a member of a ballet company and jazz performing group. From the time she attended college until now, she has been involved in over sixty theatrical productions, both here and in England. She has been the Lighting Designer on countless productions, as well as Director, Choreographer, Playwright, Actor, Dancer, Movement Coordinator, Sound Designer, and Stage Manager. She most recently was Faculty Director of American Idiot (2019) at Crafton Hills College. All of her work in theatre, from design and technical theatre to directing, writing, and performing, has covered a vast array of production types such as: Shakespeare, musicals, devised theatre, performance art, classical plays, and new works.