Monthly Newsletters - February 2026

Throw Me Some Lessons, Mistah!

Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, and Staff:

February is here, and in my house, that usually means we get new cups! Seriously, the fancy glasses of yesteryear met my children (and thus their demise) long ago. OK, maybe I broke one or two as well. Seriously though, I don’t know how folks outside of NOLA get through life without the joy of Mardi Gras! Maybe we should have a LAAPA cup? I don’t know. Valentine’s Day is also coming up, and so is our FREE Valentine’s Improv Night Friday 2/6 from 5:30-6:30 at Three Rivers Theater. It’s open to the general public, but please RSVP by emailing us!

 

Of course, each February, we also shift our focus to LAAPAFEST and, new this year, the LTFF: LAAPA Theater and Film Festival! We’ll outline both programs now for those who may be new to LAAPA!

 

LAAPAFEST is a unique opportunity for all music and dance students who have been studying their program for at least 1 year (whether at LAAPA or elsewhere) to perform a solo from memory for a panel of three insightful and friendly judges. Students then receive an overall rating, as well as detailed written constructive feedback, on their performance within a variety of categories, which will be passed along to their instructor(s).

 

The overall goal of LAAPAFEST works in tandem with our mission here at LAAPA: instilling a lifetime appreciation of the performing arts within each student while continually building self-esteem. Students do not compete with other students for their overall rating and are rated solely on their individual performances and at their individual levels. Beginning students are most welcome and encouraged to participate in LAAPAFEST!

 

As usual, we will be recording every LAAPAFEST performance, and all performers will receive a copy. Immediately following the final week of LAAPAFEST, the judges are asked to select 30-40 music and dance students, who have received the highest overall ratings, to perform their solos in a special Honors Concert, which will be held on 31 May at Three Rivers Theater. There are very limited spots in the Honors Recital, and the selection process is always a very challenging one for the judges! In other words, not being selected for the Honors Concert certainly does not detract from the outstanding achievement of a Superior or Excellent rating! The judges will also select many additional students to perform in a special Virtual Recital (from the live video recordings) that will be featured on our social media pages.

 

LAAPAFEST participation is an outstanding event in and of itself that produces honors reflected in the outcome of student ratings. It is important to note that the majority of our students participating in LAAPAFEST typically earn either Excellent and/or Superior overall ratings (because they are so well prepared)! The focus of LAAPAFEST is on the individual student, their performance in the festival, and their individual festival rating.

 

All LAAPAFEST students will be recognized for their participation and rewarded for Excellent and Superior ratings during the awards ceremony at our upcoming summer concerts this June!

 

For more information on LAAPAFEST, please speak with your instructor ASAP. You may sign-up online for LAAPAFEST for music at laapa.com/lfmusic and for dance at laapa.com/lfdance. Due to the limited number of slots available, it is also important to note that we have to turn students away from LAAPAFEST each year. We encourage all interested students to turn in paperwork well ahead of the published deadlines (28 February for music and 9 March for dance). Good luck at LAAPAFEST!

 

We are thrilled to announce that all LAAPAFEST performances will take place at our brand new, state-of-the-art Three Rivers Theater at LAAPA Covington!

 

This spring, we will also be hosting the first annual LAAPA Theater & Film Festival on 25 April. Like LAAPAFEST, LTFF will take place at Three Rivers Theater! Musical theater, acting, and film students are encouraged to participate in this competition. LTFF is open to students ages 7-18 and includes three main categories: monologues, musical theater solos & duets, and short film.

 

There will be one competition round per category. All registered students will participate in workshops to grow and develop different skills. The event will conclude with a live performance, featuring special guests, workshop instructors, or selected student showcases. Full details and LTFF sign-up is available at laapa.com/LTFF. The deadline to sign up is 1 March.

 

So please check out all of those festival pages ASAP - we’ve created brand new informational videos on all of them to answer your questions. If you have any questions about our Spring Festivals though, don’t hesitate to reach out!

 

In addition to LAAPAFEST & LTFF, we have other notable dates and deadlines rapidly approaching! All LAAPA campuses will be closed for Mardi Gras break from 14-19 February (staff will be out of office on 17 February, Mardi Gras Day). 2026 Dance Recital sign-up deadline is 28 February. Matilda The Musical JR. performances are 21-22 March, and tickets will be on sale soon at laapa.com/events!

 

Sincerely,

 

~ Ryan Cullen, Executive Director

February Student Spotlight - Eden Johnson

This month’s Student Spotlight features LAAPA Covington student Eden Johnson! Eden takes musical theater lessons with Ms. Chelsea, and she’s been part of the LAAPA family for half a year!

Outside of LAAPA, Eden enjoys a multitude of activities, including reading, singing, gymnastics, and arts & crafts. She’s a huge fan of magical/fantastical books, plays, and musicals, with her favorites being Wicked, Seussical, and Anne of Green Gables! Eden very strongly admires her teachers, so much so, that she hopes to one day be a teacher herself, or even a librarian!

When asked about her musical theater teacher, Ms. Chelsea, Eden’s favorite thing about her is that she’s fun! Naturally, this disposition leads to exciting lessons. Ms. Chelsea integrates many games as one of her teaching methods - and those games are Eden’s favorite part of lessons! She also really enjoyed her first drama showcase this past January. We are so excited to see you already blossoming into a bright, talented performer, Eden, and we cannot wait to see what stage you land on next!

February Birthdays and Upcoming Deadlines/Events

Shoutouts - New Students and Faculty & Staff!