Barbara Pierre is the Grant Program Co-director and a Founder of Spotlight Sound & Stage. She is an educator, artist, and lifelong musical theater enthusiast who thrives at the intersection of creativity and community engagement. She is proud to be a Boston Resident and believes that all the world is a stage.

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Her love of musical theater is more than a personal passion-it’s a dynamic tool she uses to connect with the world around her. She believes the stage is a necessary space for joy, resistance, and reflection, and she brings that same energy to her pedagogy. Whether guiding group discussions or standing center stage, Barbara embraces her hyphenate identity as both performer and educator.

 

Barbara was most recently seen as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray at Riverside Theatre Works, where she also performed in All Shook Up, Jesus Christ Superstar, and co-directed The Vagina Monologues.

 

Other acting credits include: Minola McKnight in Parade and Gary Coleman in Avenue Q (The Umbrella Stage Company); The Dragon in Shrek and Sebastian in The Little Mermaid (Needham Community Theatre, where she won a 2019 DASH Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical); Mama Morton in Chicago (Vokes Theatre); Maggie Jones in 42nd Street (The Umbrella); Brenda in Smokey Joe’s Café (MMAS);

 

She has served as Stage Manager and provided technical support for events and productions including Spotlight on the Boston Mayoral Candidates ( Stage Manager) Mean Girls (Stage Manager) and Young Frankenstein (Stage Crew) at Riverside Theatre Works. She also provided music direction and vocal coaching for a youth production of Willy Wonka Jr. at Menotomy Theater.

 

Barbara also teaches across the Boston area, including co-teaching a course on Haitian and Dominican culture through a sociological lens. As a first-generation Haitian American, she is deeply committed to fostering cultural awareness, equity, and student-centered learning.

 

She works to deepen students’ understanding of the historical and contemporary complexities of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, encouraging reflection, dialogue, and critical thinking.Barbara continues to blend performance and pedagogy in service of storytelling, equity, and creative exploration.

 

As an educator, storyteller, and performer,  Barbara approaches every project as an opportunity to nurture creative confidence and community connection. Her work bridges the classroom and the stage: centering collaboration, cultural storytelling, and access to professional artistic experiences. Through initiatives like Spotlight, Sound & Stage, she continues to champion the belief that when artists are supported with the right tools, mentorship, and visibility, their stories can transform audiences and strengthen the fabric of our communities.