Marissa Hertzfeld

As a Charlotte native, Marissa grew up performing in local community theatres. She decided to pursue her love of theatre at Appalachian State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Education. Since then, Marissa has taught elementary, middle, and high school students around the state. She has experience directing and choreographing a variety of ages. Marissa has directed productions at The Academy including Willy Wonka Jr, Aladdin KIDS, Annie Jr, Beauty and the Beast Jr, Matilda Jr, The Wizard of Oz (RSC), and our next production, Shrek Jr. She also leads workshops at The Academy as well as our fall musical theatre classes: Rising Stars and Shining Stars. Marissa recently led our 2026 Jr Theatre Festival troupe to the Atlanta festival where they performed before Broadway professionals and earned the Excellence in Acting award.

Marissa believes that arts education is central to our humanity. Theatre teaches a plethora of essential lifelong abilities, such as strong communication skills, collaboration, creative problem solving, empathy and compassion, self-confidence, and so many more. These are skills she places at the forefront of her teaching, while also placing a huge emphasis on self-discovery and enjoyment of the creative process.

Marissa lives in South Charlotte with her husband and fur baby. When she is not teaching, you can find her traveling and spending time outdoors. We are so excited to have Marissa on faculty at The Academy teaching musical theatre classes and directing productions!