Laura Beeman Nugent helped co-found the Shreveport Little Theater Academy in 2007 and has served as choreographer since its inception. In 2011, Laura began her position as Academy Administrator and director/choreographer for the Academy, more recently being named as Academy Artistic Director. She holds her Associate of the Arts degree with a concentration in Theatre from BPCC, a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts with a concentration in Theatre from Louisiana Tech University. Laura also holds her Master of Liberal Arts with 18 graduate hours in Theatre from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Mrs. Nugent has also directed numerous shows for the Academy. Educationally, she served as a Tour Actor and Director for the Missoula Children’s Theatre Company, a touring company specializing in theatre for children. She has also been the company choreographer for Canterbury Summer Theatre, near Chicago, as well as a choreographer for productions at Shreveport Little Theatre, BPCC, and the Performing Arts Center at First United Methodist Church of Shreveport.
Laura Beeman Nugent
(Academy Artistic Director,
Junior & Senior Academy Instructor)
Adam Philley
(Academy Resident Music Director,
Senior Academy Instructor)
Adam Philley began his stint with SLTA as the music supervisor for Disney’s High School Musical in 2008, moving on to be musical director for SLTA productions of Disney’s High School Musical 2, Children of Eden, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Les Misérables, Rent, Little Women, All Shook Up! and several Jr. Academy shows. He holds a M.M. in Choral Conducting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a B.M. in Sacred Music from Centenary College. He has been active in the theatre since the age of 14 and understands the importance of theatre for youth. He is a founding member of the Centenary Musical Theatre Group and serves as the current Music Director at Broadmoor United Methodist Church in Shreveport. He also serves as an adjunct voice teacher at Centenary. Adam is also a founder and conductor of the Prisma Vocal Ensemble. While at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he conducted the All-Collegiate Chorale and the award winning collegiate show choir, the Big Red Singers. He also served as resident music director for the Youth Actors' Academy of Lincoln and Theatre Arts For Kids under the direction of Leah Arington. He has served as Musical Director on many shows in the region including Godspell, Disney’s High School Musical, Seussical The Musical, L’enfant et les sortileges and The Medium. Adam has been a featured soloist and conductor at the First United Methodist Church of Shreveport, the Centenary College Choir and the Centenary Camerata and Chorale performing all over the world, including Carnegie Hall, Switzerland, Germany, France, Ireland, England, and Wales.
Kelly Berne began her time with SLTA as a theatre mom and volunteer in 2013. As her children's love for theatre grew, so did hers. Kelly joined the staff of SLTA in February of 2018 as Academy Coordinator. She holds a B.A. in Business from Southeastern Louisiana University. In 2014 she received her Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO. Kelly currently serves as the Executive Pastor of Broadmoor UMC in Shreveport and preaches every Sunday in The River Worship Service. Kelly assists the Academy Director with coordinating shows, classes, camps, and publications. She also helps with registration, payments, and running the website.
Kelly Berne
(Academy Coordinator)
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Nathan Gay is excited to be a part of Shreveport Little Theatre Academy. His recent productions include Mike in SLT's White Christmas, Peter in Company, Tammany O'Halloran in Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical, and the Ensemble in Mamma Mia. Nathan is a graduate of Centenary College and is the Choir Teacher at Parkway High School. He is also the Worship Leader at South Bossier Baptist Church alongside his
wife, Brittany. He is grateful for his wife and his family's support and Shreveport Little Theatre for giving him this opportunity.
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Nathan Gay
(Junior Academy Musical Director,
Guest Vocal Instructor)
Heather Peak Hooper trained at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has a B.A. in Theatre and a Masters in Arts Teaching in Theatre, English, and Speech. She has acted and directed professionally from San Francisco, CA to London, England and toured internationally with the American Shakespeare Center. Some of her favorite plays in which she performed locally are Cover of Life, Waverly Gallery and August: Osage County. She most recently directed SLTA's Man of La Mancha and Footloose. Heather is proud to teach theatre at Captain Shreve High School and coach Shreve's Theatre Performance Team.
Heather Peak Hooper
(Guest Acting Instructor,
Guest Senior Academy Director)
Andrew is a fight director who works from coast to coast. He is a certified stage combat instructor with the Society of American Fight Directors that holds a BA in Theatre from The University of Kentucky and a MA in Theatre from Louisiana Tech University where he studied performance and stage movement under SAFD Fight Master Mark D. Guinn. Andrew currently resides in Shreveport, LA but spends a portion of the year in his hometown of Lexington, KY where he serves as stage combat instructor at the University of Kentucky. On top of that he teachers stage combat in Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida. He also spends time in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York working as a motion capture performer. He is one of the lead capture artists for the Saint's Row and Agents of Mayhem video game franchise.