Melissa Morris

Melissa Anne Morris is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. She holds degrees in Music and Drama from Queen’s University, where she also earned a Master’s in Cultural Studies. Her creative practice spans composing, sound design, playwriting, acting, musical direction, and arts education. Morris combines classical training with an experimental edge, bringing a dynamic and holistic approach to contemporary theatre and music.

As a composer and playwright, Morris is known for co-writing Evil Dead: The Musical, which began as a cult hit and has since found international acclaim. Her other original works include The Fred Astaire Story, Asylum by the Lake, and Love Stories: Prescott, all of which have been performed throughout Ontario and beyond. She has composed scores for a range of stage adaptations, including Alice in Wonderland, Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, and original Canadian plays like Warrior Joey Steals a Star and Maid for a Musket.

Morris serves as the Resident Musical Director and Composer for the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott, Ontario. In this role, she has contributed original scores and arrangements to numerous productions, including The Three Musketeers, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Othello, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her film credits include composing the scores for Keepsakes and Inheritance, and she continues to develop new Canadian musicals with collaborators from across the country.

Her creative work emphasizes theatricality, collaboration, and musical storytelling. She has performed in and directed cabaret, theatre, and opera, and premiered her one-woman musical Sweetheart in Kingston. Her contributions also include sound design for productions such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, reflecting her ability to blend technical skill with artistic vision across mediums.

In addition to her artistic output, Morris is a dedicated educator. She teaches vocal performance, musical theatre, and songwriting at Queen’s University and maintains a private vocal studio in Toronto. She has led workshops internationally, including in Argentina, Jordan, and Oman. Through her teaching and mentorship, she fosters the growth of emerging artists while continuing to create bold, expressive work for the stage and screen.