The Juneteenth Story

07/19/2026

🎂

Happy Birthday, Ms. Leigha T. Porter! 🎉
Today we celebrate the visionary, educator, choreographer, and leader behind FE Conservatory—our Artistic Director, Ms. Leigha T. Porter.
Thank you for your unwavering dedication to developing not only exceptional dancers, but confident, compassionate, and disciplined young people. Your passion for the arts, commitment to excellence, and belief in every student continue to shape lives both inside and outside the studio.
Your impact extends far beyond choreography. It lives on in every lesson taught, every opportunity created, and every dancer inspired to dream bigger.
Please join us in wishing Ms. Leigha a very Happy Birthday! We are grateful for your leadership and hope this year brings you abundant joy, continued success, and countless new memories.
Happy Birthday! 💛

07/15/2026

Levi Moore was our Set Designer for The Juneteenth Story this year. First year with us.

The play crosses two worlds: a Texas plantation in 1865 and a Lafayette front yard in 2026. Levi designed one house that stood for both. Belle's beautiful cabin came in separately, on casters, rolling on and off between scenes.

Off the production, he's one of the owners of The Allure for Moore. His partner, Reneka Moore, and their team were also at the Heritage Jubilee on opening night, running the vendor experience and doing live interviews with cast and guests.

Thank you, Levi. We hope you stick with us.

June 19 + 20 | Acadiana Center for the Arts
TheJuneteenthStory.com

07/12/2026

Gina Baronne is a pillar of Lafayette's community theatre scene. If a show is up in Acadiana on any given weekend, chances are Gina had a hand in it. Lights, sound, directing, costumes. She works across every department, sometimes on the same show.

She was our Costume Designer for The Juneteenth Story this year. But saying that alone misses what she did. She built some of the antiquity costumes by hand. She also did aging makeup for some of the characters.

Costume is what the audience sees about a character first. Gina made sure the 1865 characters looked like they lived in 1865.

Thirty years of doing this, and she's still doing all of it.

Thank you, Gina.

June 19 + 20 | Acadiana Center for the Arts
TheJuneteenthStory.com

07/06/2026

Let us brag on Brayden Landry!

Class of 2026, Lafayette High. NAACP ACT-SO gold medalist. Recently featured on KRVS Radio Acadie for winning the competition.

He’s been on our tech team since 2022. Sound design. Spotlight. Videography. Devonte’s brother and right-hand man.

Next week, he flies to Chicago for the 49th National ACT-SO Competition at the 117th NAACP National Convention!

Founding sponsors already covered registration and flights. What’s left is $2,000 for hotel, meals, and ground transportation. Deadline: July 14.

Chip in what you can. Every dollar helps him land, sleep, eat, and get to competition! 🔥

creativereach.art/actso

June 19 + 20 | Acadiana Center for the Arts
TheJuneteenthStory.com

07/05/2026

Meet Devonte Thomas.

The credit says light designer and engineer. That’s true. He designed the light for The Juneteenth Story and ran it. Both jobs.

But that’s not all he did.

He helped load in. He helped build the set. He jumped on audio when we needed him. He tracked down equipment on short notice.

He’s been doing this with us since 2022. You didn’t see him during the show. That’s how you know he did his job. Actually, all of them.

When Josiah describes what the play needed to feel like, Devonte figures out how to make it happen.

Thank you for the light, Devonte. And for the rest.

June 19 + 20 | Acadiana Center for the Arts
TheJuneteenthStory.com