Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson is a Professor of Theatre at the University of Illinois Springfield. She has been a member of the ACTF Region 3 Planning Team/Selection Committee in various positions since 2011, and considers her work with ACTF a privilege and an honor. Missy received her MFA in Acting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her BFA in Drama Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She has also taught at Cornell University, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and Illinois College. She has presented papers and appeared in numerous original 10-minute play-readings regularly at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and the Mid-America Theatre Conference (MATC), and has also presented workshops for Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), and ACTF. Acting credits include: Holoferna in LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, with Prague. Shakespeare Company, Hawkins in MEN ON BOATS (Chenango River Theatre, NY), Ladybird Johnson in ALL THE WAY, M'Lynn in STEEL MAGNOLIAS (Hoogland Center for the Arts), Lady Macbeth in MACBETH, Blanche in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (UIS Theatre), and Truvy (twice) in STEEL MAGNOLIAS (McLeod Summer Playhouse and Shawnee Summer Theatre). Her most recent acting work was playing Kate in Brian Friel's DANCING AT LUGHNASA with The White Horse Players/Hoogland Center. UIS Theatre directing credits include: TWELFTH NIGHT, ON THE VERGE..., HURRICANE DIANE, STOP KISS, SILENT SKY, HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, DISTRACTED, and MACHINAL, and most recently, THE LARAMIE PROJECT.