Professor Missy Barnes
Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts

Contact Info:
Phone - (704) 637-4430;
E-mail: mabarnes@catawba.edu

Direct Media Relations Contact:
Tonia Black-Gold
Chief Communications Officer
Phone: (704) 637-439
E-mail: tblackgo@catawba.edu

Biography
Dance and Musical Theatre; B.A., Loyola University New Orleans; M.F.A., Roosevelt University; Certificate in Acting, British American Dramatic Academy

Missy has served many functions in her career as a “theatrician”. She has directed and choreographed a variety of musicals, including Children of Eden, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Once Upon a Mattress, and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. She recently choreographed Catawba's production of Into the Woods. As an actor, Missy has appeared in The Comedy of Errors, The Music Man, Oliver!, Carousel, and Forum, to name just a few. In addition, Missy danced with the Komenka Ethnic Dance and Song Ensemble (New Orleans) for several years, appearing as a soloist in concerts and during tours of France and Russia.

Missy teaches Dance (Introduction, Intermediate, Musical Stage), Choreography, History of the Musical Stage, Musical Theatre Performance, and Beginning Acting. In her performance classes, Missy helps students learn to carry acting techniques into the performance of dance and song. She feels her primary gift to the students is helping them embrace their unique qualities. In addition, she provides a nurturing environment in which students can access physical and emotional freedom and develop a greater sense of self –worth.

Missy and her husband Joe were married in Las Vegas by Elvis. Missy has an extensive collection of music and books that seems to be taking over her house (and office). In her free time, she enjoys doing interpretive dance in her living room and playing with her invisible dogs, Biff and Handfull.