As a singer and actor, Melissa has performed in numerous musicals including Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), Pippin (Catherine, ensemble), Into the Woods (Witch), Guys and Dolls (General Cartwright), Les Miserables (ensemble), and more. 

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From 2011 - 2015, Melissa joined the pit at the American Music Theater, where, as a cellist in the band, she played in over 500 performances.  This special opportunity allowed her to mix multiple passions, as the band was presented on stage, often with spotlights and features.

 

Melissa has also played in the pit orchestra for many shows, including the Broadway tours of Matilda: the Musical, Cinderella, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, the premier of the chamber edition of Ghost, in addition to Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklohoma, Annie Jr., The Sound of Music, The Music Man, Carousel, South Pacific, Spitfire Grill, and many more.  Additionally, Melissa has shared the stage as a soloist with Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Jonathan Groff.  

 

Joining director, Saskia Bankert, Melissa co-directed a number of youth theater camps with Growing Stages, a small scale educational production company.  In June of 2015, she made her directing debut with a teen production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Jennersville YMCA. In the summer of 2018, she and husband, Chris Salerno, co-wrote and directed the first annual Patriot Glee Camp held at General Wayne Elementary for grades 4-6, and has continued to teach preschool theater arts as a freelance educator.