Andrew Palermo is a director, choreographer and creator of new works for the stage. 

Nickel Mines, (conceived by Palermo, co-authored by Shannon Stoeke with music and lyrics by Dan Dyer), interprets the events surrounding the 2006 Lancaster, PA Amish schoolhouse shooting. Initially developed at UC Irvine, Nickel Mines was selected as a Next Link Project of the New York Musical Festival and received its commercial premiere at ACT of Connecticut in January, 2021.

Andrew made his Broadway choreographic debut with Allegiance. Starring Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and George Takei, Allegiance is the story of one multi-generational, Japanese-American family’s struggle to endure a WWII internment camp and its lifelong aftermath. 

In 2018, with support from the US Department of State, Palermo was commissioned by Moscow State Ballet Theatre, ‘Gzhel’ to create an evening-length work. Let Go has played The Kremlin, Moscow’s Pushkin Theatre and is now a part of the touring repertoire of the 65 member dance company.

Other stage direction and/or choreography credits include The Other Josh Cohen (Papermill and Soho Playhouse), Midnight At The Never Get (The York, Provincetown Inn, NYMF), Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall, The Frank Loesser Songbook/New York Philharmonic (Lincoln Center), Iolanthe, The Mikado, Babes In Toyland, Of Thee, I Sing, Let Em Eat Cake (Carnegie Hall), Ace (The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Miss Julie (Geffen Playhouse), Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Bright Lights, Big City (Prince Music Theater), Vices (Theatre Aspen), The Aluminum Show (international tour), For The Record/Paul Thomas Anderson (Rockwell, LA), 125th Teachers College Gala (The Apollo Theatre), Aida (Music Theater Wichita), Man of La Mancha (Sacramento Music Circus), Two Gentlemen of Verona (University of Cincinnati/CCM), Hair and The Wild Party (Wichita State University), Cabaret (Saddleback College), She Loves Me (Westminster Choir College), American Idiot, Rent, Legally Blonde, Parade, Spring Awakening and Sweet Smell of Success (UC Irvine).

Andrew has choreographed multi-million dollar industrials for Toyota, episodes of Comedy Central’s Stella, promos for Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, commercials for Showtime Network and G-Shock watches and a chapter of award winning/NY Times Critic’s Pick, Adam Guettel’s Myths and Hymns for Master Voices. 

Along with childhood friend Taye Diggs, Andrew was the Co-Founding Artistic Director of dre.dance, a contemporary dance company.  With performances around New York City and North America, dre.dance received multiple commissions, residencies, grants and rave reviews for its powerful and compelling works.  

One such work, beyond.words, which focuses on the autism spectrum, led Palermo to be a leader in the field of movement therapy. Andrew’s movement workshop for children on the spectrum, Creatively Able, has been taught to students and caregivers around the US and abroad, has been the subject of research studies at UCI (with published findings) and has been featured by Upworthy Presents in a video that has garnered nearly six million views.

Performing highlights include original Broadway companies of Wicked and Annie Get Your Gun (‘Tommy Keeler’, Bernadette Peters revival), as well as How To Succeed…(Matthew Broderick revival), national / international tours of West Side Story, Michael John LaChiusa’s Little Fish (2nd Stage), numerous regional and concert productions. Andrew is a proud alumnus of University of Cincinnati / CCM,  a Professor of Drama at UC Irvine, and dog dad to rescues Steve and Henry.