Episode 147: Shreveport Little Theatre Maker of Dreams

Remember the comedian George Carlin? In 1958, when he was an airman at nearby Barksdale Air Force Base, his first appearance on a stage was in Shreveport. Carlin was the star of the Shreveport Little Theatre’s production of “The Happiest Millionaire.” That is one of the many surprising facts about the theater which, in another surprise, celebrated its centennial in 2022. Robert Darrow, the theater’s managing and artistic director, as well as Sherry Kerr, a Shreveport-based drama consultant, writer and actress, join Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the theater – which Life Magazine once dubbed as one of the top three community playhouses in America. The history of the theater and its stars has been produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting as a documentary entitled “Maker of Dreams.” (Check LPB Passport and streaming options.) Among the stories is that of a Shreveport native who auditioned for a role in the original making of “Gone With the Wind” and what happened to her career.