Directing Bio

Karissa Barber (she/her) is a director, award-winning actress and playwright living in central Florida. In May 2024, she graduated with her MFA in directing and performance pedagogy from the University of Idaho. Her work with adults with disabilities, unhoused populations, racial justice and her experience as a transracial adoptive mother informs the work she is drawn to as a theatre maker. Barber's directing style is focused on creating a collaborative, trauma-informed, consent-based environment, valuing the process over the product to create a sustainable theatre practice for all artists involved. Her certifications & training include mental health first aid, suicide prevention, bystander intervention, allyship/anti-racist workplaces, intimacy coordination and culturally responsive pedagogy.  She is currently the theatre operations/production manager for Florida Southern College. 

"Storytelling is the sweetness of life and I believe stories have the power to change the world. My brand of storytelling is live theatre and I am thrilled to be a burgeoning woman director in central Florida. As a director, I am dedicated to the text to bring the playwright's story to fruition, utilizing the strengths and limitations of the theatre company I am working with. I strive to create a brave space for all artists in the project through a collaborative, trauma-informed, consent-based practice. High production value is a priority, but not at the expense of the dignity, humanity and autonomy of the artists in the room. I believe this emphasis creates a better overall production process and theatre community long-term. As a female-identifying individual who is also a mother of four, I am deeply moved by stories that elevate the plight of women, highlight the oppression of the patriarchy and expose the persistence of white supremacy. These stories within the context of theatre excite me because I strive to be a change-maker with this tool of directing."

​"... led by the assured direction of Karissa Barber, whose staging works well and who keeps the pace up..." 
-Peter Nason, Broadway World Tampa/St. Pete

"Karissa exhibits a high level of integrity and
maturity in her approach to every project."
- Mark Hartfield, Theatre Program Director at Polk State

"Her ability to be kind and sensitive to everyone’s
needs while pushing for excellence are unmatched."
- Nora Paine, Artistic Director of New Tampa Players
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Directing Production Photos

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Directing

• UPCOMING: TBD | Director | New Tampa Players | New Tampa, FL | March 2025
• UPCOMING: Disney's The Beauty and the Beast | Director | Arts in Motion | Dade City, FL | November 2024
• The Children | Director | Florida Southern College | Lakeland, FL | October 2024
•  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever  | Director | Theatre Winter Haven | Winter Haven, FL | December 2023
• Shrek: the musical | Director | New Tampa Players | New Tampa, FL | October 2023
• Dead Man's Cellphone | Director & Intimacy Choreographer | Polk State College | Winter Haven, FL| January 2023
• Next to Normal | Directing Associate | Polk State  | Winter Haven, FL | 2022
• The Importance of Being Earnest | Directing Associate | Polk State | Winter Haven, FL | 2021

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Intimacy Choreographer

• The Shape of Things | Intimacy Choreographer | Florida Southern College | Lakeland, Florida | January 2023
• Intimacy Workshop Teacher | Florida Theatre Conference | Winter Haven, Florida | October 2023
• Mushy | Intimacy Consultant | Orlando Fringe Festival | Orlando, Florida | March 2023
• Intimacy Workshop Teacher | Florida Southern College | Lakeland, Florida | February 2023
• Dead Man's Cellphone | Director & Intimacy Choreographer | Polk State | Winter Haven, Florida | January 2023

Certificates/Training (SAG-AFTRA Protocol)

• Intimacy Choreography & training with Theatrical Intimacy Education (15 hours complete)
• Foundations of Intimacy (MFA  course at University of Idaho)​
• Artistic Mental Health Coordinator (21 hours complete)
• Mental Health First Aid certified & Suicide Prevention training
• Culturally Responsive Pedagogy certificated
• Bystander Intervention Training
• Allyship/Anti-Racist Workplace workshops
• Title IX Sexual Harassment Training