Family spotted Laura’s spark early - she was scatting along to “Lullaby of Birdland” before she could even form words. That spark has only grown. Since then, Laura has dazzled onstage and behind the scenes, performed across the U.S. and Europe, and taught countless students through classes, workshops, and her private studio. Her range is legendary: a Mozart aria on Monday, grunge belting on Tuesday, youth vocal coaching on Wednesday, marketing on Thursday, with sound design or doubling as assistant director and cast member by Friday. Her versatility even earned her the tongue-in-cheek honor: “Is There Anything You Can’t Do?”

Laura’s training began with the North Central Louisiana Masterworks Chorus Young Singers; She auditioned at age eight with an a cappella “Seek Ye First” and soon after found herself immersed in musical theatre at her childhood artistic home, Strauss Theatre, under the mentorship of Cathy Airhart Webb and Chris Ringham. Between 1996 and 2004, she appeared in 20 productions and worked backstage on six more. At Louisiana Tech, with vocal guidance from Dr. Laura Thompson, Laura flourished: campus productions, coveted inclusion in advanced and select choirs, regional competition wins, three consecutive invitations to perform on the Robert E. Cheatham Honors Recital, and eight invitations to perform in the regional Louisiana Composers’ Consortium Concert Series.

Her artistry carried her overseas. In 2006 she toured Austria with the Louisiana Tech Chamber Singers for the International Mozart Festival. A year later she returned to Europe for the Rome Opera Festival, where-originally cast as an understudy for Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro-she earned the principal role outright. Back in the U.S., she performed at major regional and national events before completing her Bachelors in General Studies with a minor in Vocal Performance in 2009. She pursued further study in Psychometrics at ULM while continuing vocal work with world-renowned Louis Nabors. In 2010, she performed in Star Wars: In Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Dirk Brossé. After receiving her master’s degree in 2011, she shifted into healthcare and nonprofit work, stepping away from performing, but never fully out of the arts.

Of course, the stage called her back. In 2018, Laura reunited with Cathy Airhart Webb at CA Studio, reigniting her passion both in the spotlight and behind the curtain. Over the next two years, she appeared in more than a dozen productions. Even COVID couldn’t completely dim her momentum. After relocating to Missouri to be closer to her husband, she returned to the stage in a series of bold, memorable roles ranging from Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth to Dracula's Renfield to Kate Hammill's Lizzy Bennet.

Today, Laura is expanding her artistic footprint throughout Missouri. She teaches through her private studio and continues to help shape creative programming with Little Theatre of Weston-including radio dramas, concerts, original initiatives, and other work that fuses her classical training with modern theatrical storytelling.

Through every twist, curveball, and comeback, Laura pours her whole heart into creating extraordinary experiences. Theatre remains her favorite team sport and she’s all in: onstage, backstage, and everywhere the next opportunity leads.

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT MONROE

2011-2012

Master of Science in Psychology, Psychometrics

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY

2004-2009

Bachelor of Arts in General Studies, Humanities

Minor: Music Performance, Voice

Tennis, Water Skiing, Swimming, Writing, Four-Wheeler Driving, Automatic and Standard-Shift Vehicle Driving, Video Gaming, Marksmanship: Pistol, Computers, 120 WPM, Music Composition, Sound Design, Vocal Range: E3-D6, Dancing: Cha Cha Cha, Dancing: Bachata, Dancing: LA Style Salsa (+tricks and dips), Dialects: RP British, Cockney, French, Russian, American-Southern, American-Standard