Missy Barnes, MFA
Musical Theatre Professor
Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance
Missy Barnes' teaching and research interests include musical theatre performance, musical theatre history, and psycho-physical education. In addition to her degrees, she is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique as well as a certified Somatic Movement Educator, trained at the School for Body-Mind Centering. Barnes has spent many years working as a musical theatre performer, actor, director, and choreographer.
Education
BA, Drama, Loyola University New Orleans
MFA, Music Theatre, Roosevelt University
Memberships: Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), Alexander Technique International (ATI), and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
Musical Theatre Professor
Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance
Missy Barnes is a musical theatre professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Rollins College. She teaches and researches musical theatre performance, musical theatre history, and psycho-physical education, with a focus on how actors use the body, voice, and mind in rehearsal and performance.
Barnes is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and a certified Somatic Movement Educator trained at the School for Body-Mind Centering. She is also certified in methods tied to psycho-physical awareness and performance, including Body-Mind Centering and the Michael Chekhov acting technique, and is a certified Mindfulness Facilitator. Her research interests include mindfulness in performance and education, along with theatre and social justice.
Barnes has worked throughout her career as a musical theatre performer, actor, director, choreographer, and movement coach. Her professional work has taken her to New Orleans, Chicago, Austin, Orlando, and other theatre communities. At Rollins, she brings that experience into the classroom, rehearsal room, and Annie Russell Theatre.
Education
BA, Drama, Loyola University New Orleans
MFA, Music Theatre, Roosevelt University
Memberships: Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), Alexander Technique International (ATI), and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
Teaching & Mentorship at Rollins
At Rollins, Barnes helps students connect classroom training with production work. Her teaching supports the Theatre Arts program’s hands-on approach, where students study performance through acting, movement, music, history, collaboration, and close faculty mentorship.
“Taking what you learn in the classroom and then experiencing that in a practical application is what allows actors, dancers, directors, and designers to really deepen their understanding of the craft,” Barnes shared in a Rollins feature on the making of The Prom.
Her directing work with The Prom at Rollins shows the kind of mentorship students receive in the department. Student associate director Kaila Cohen ’25 worked alongside Barnes on casting, actor notes, and scene direction. Cohen shared that Barnes treated her as “a collaborator and artist” while still recognizing that she was a student learning the process.
Performance Spaces & Student Learning
Barnes also works closely with students in Rollins’ performance spaces, including the Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre. She has spoken about how the dance studio and acting/directing classroom help students rehearse choreography, music, scenes, and design elements in nearby spaces, giving productions a stronger shared process.
Students who work with Barnes learn how to build healthier performance habits, make sharper acting choices, and understand musical theatre as both physical practice and storytelling. Her work gives students a grounded path into performance, directing, choreography, and theatre-making in a small liberal arts program.