Barbara Mélois was born on June the 24th 1967 in Château-Thierry (France).

She is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Reims (Art Academy of Reims) and of the ESNAM, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette of Charleville-Mézières (National Higher School of Puppetry/France).

She develops in her work those two jointed and connected experiences. She thus associates in her shows Theater with Plastic Arts and she weaves an imaginary web, in which the mundane becomes a fairy tale, and the most prosaic materials change into chimera, monsters and marvels.

Barbara Mélois has presented her shows in France and elsewhere (Germany, Austria, Africa, Belgium, China, Canada, Korea, Croatia, Spain, Finland, Greece, Italy, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, the UK, Rumania, Slovenia, Serbia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the USA). Her performances are in four languages, with many bilingual versions.

Barbara Mélois works on stage but also behind the curtains: construction of puppets for different companies such as "L'Ouch'théâtre", "Tohu-Bohu théâtre", "Les Nouveaux-Nez" ("Le jour des petites lunes", Bobino, janvier 1995). She is Eun-Young Kim's assistant in "Un jour, il vit une pie" and takes part in the scenography of the show "arden/Ardennes" staged by Roman Paska (théâtre d'actions eXpérimentales de l'Institut international de la marionnette). She is the scenograph of " contes à ouïr et à zieuter " (Théâtre des Alberts, île de La Réunion avril 2001). In 2019 she is the curator of the exhibition "Gaito-Kamishibai" at the World Puppetry Festival in Charleville. She works with the pupils of the 13th promotion at the ESNAM. Barbara Mélois plays her shows in four languages, in France and abroad (Germany, Austria, Belgium, China, Japan, Canada, Corea, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, USA, Finland ).

“Barbara Mélois, in love with substances” - Libération

"Barbara Melois is an explorer" LA SCENE

"In the little world of the puppet, she has managed to build a very personal universe. Each of her shows is a jewel presented in its precious case" L'EXPRESS

"Her shows are rich with invention, poetry and humour, each featuring one material" L'UNION

"a moment of incredible grace, gripping the heart as it does with a magma of emotions from which it is impossible to break free, and which haunts the brain for a very, very long time, with persistent and uncontrollable echoes, as if inhabited by a force which refuses to close the door on enchantment." L'HUMANITÉ