Academy SRT Instructor Bios
Kat Johnston
Instructor: Acting Grades 3-5
Instructor: Acting Grades 6-8
Kat Johnston earned her MFA in performance from the University of New Orleans. There she was thrilled to play Olga in The Three Sisters, Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa, and Liz Morden in Our Country's Good. Since then, she has begun to explore the various theatres of New Orleans-- playing Hark in The 13 Clocks at the Alamo Underground, Ghost Past in A Christmas Carol with JPAS, and Isabella in Measure for Measure at Delgado Community College. She has also discovered a love of teaching as one of the resident acting coaches with Avancez Talent Management. She recently finished teaching theatre to children at a summer camp sponsored by the Kedila Family Learning Center. To Kat, theatre is about storytelling. We can learn, grow and enjoy ourselves by giving in to the experience. As an actor and a teacher, she believes that each artist is his or her own unique instrument and fine-tuning that instrument is an individual journey. She's excited to be a part of Academy SRT.
Molly E. Maginnis
Instructor: Acting Grades Pre-K-2
Instructor: Acting Grades 9-12
Co-Instructor: Girl Scout Creative Theatre Workshop
Molly E. Maginnis, an active actress, teacher and producer, returned home after earning a BFA from Stephens College in 2006. Molly's theatrical and production background includes serving as one of four international representatives for the International Thespian Society; public relations director and co-chair for the Warehouse Theatre Company in Columbia, Missouri; and co-producer with Project Homecoming for their national tour benefiting rebuilding the Gulf South after Hurricane Katrina (nameoftherain.org). Some of her most rewarding performances include: The Miss Firecracker Contest at Okoboji Summer Theatre in Iowa; Alabama Rain at The Warehouse Theatre Company, and Sheriff Reilly's Spankin New Duds which toured elementary schools throughout LA with Playmakers of Baton Rouge. Molly recently instructed Academy SRT's first summer camps for students in grades pre-K-3, 4-8, & 9-12 and has also taught and co-directed at Theatre Reaching Young People and Schools in Missouri for three years and Playmakers of Baton Rouge for two summers. She believes theatre should encourage playfulness and discovery, and encourages her students to give their utmost respect for the class and the craft.
Angelena Brocato
Instructor: Marketing the Actor
Angelena Swords Brocato is a Louisiana native with a B.A. in Public Relations and Advertising as well as a minor in Theatre from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Upon graduation, she relocated to sunny Los Angeles. She spent five years there working with managers and casting directors in the industry and photographing headshots. She has worked as an assistant with Vickie Rosenberg Casting and Stordahl/Terry Casting as well as held assistant positions at ESI and Trinity Management in Los Angelos. While in LA, Angelina also worked as a personal career coach, which consisted of individual audition technique instruction, goal setting, and consulting. She loves teaching and has experience in coaching actors ages 3-18. As owner and photographer of Brocato Photojournalism, Angelena and her husband Lyle strive to be the premiere headshot photographers in Louisiana.
Jennifer Pagan
Instructor: Writing for Solo Performance
Instructor: Story Theatre Ensemble
Jennifer Pagan is a writer, performer, storyteller and theater teacher from New Orleans, LA. She has taught in New Orleans at: Contemporary Arts Center, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, McMain High School, Crocker Elementary, Mid-City School for the Arts and for the National Art in Education Association as well as workshops throughout southeastern LA with Young Audiences. In Los Angelos, Jennifer taught with Second City, Trapdoor Theatre Ensemble, at the Miles Playhouse, Powerhouse Theatre, and We Tell Stories. Her solo work has been featured in Los Angeles at Second City, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Improv Olympic, The Electric Company, Powerhouse Theatre, Casa 0101, the Higgins Performance Gallery and in New Orleans at Le Chat Noir, the CAC, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, the Neighborhood Gallery and Dramarama. Her latest solo play was a winner of Le Chat Noir’s 2007 Festival of New Plays One Act Play Competition. Jennifer is a graduate of Second City’s Conservatory and Writing Program and has received numerous grants from the Arts Council of New Orleans, CAC Theatre Arts Fund, Artist Resource Completion Grants, and Louisiana Division of the Arts for workshops and performances.
