Our Staff
Ross R. Ross
CO-DIRECTOR of Theater & Performance
Ross (they/them) is a 23 year old Black queer New Orleanian creative Sagittarius weirdo, performer, writer, poet, visual artist, and the newest Co-Director of LOUD Queer Youth Theater. They are an anarchist connoisseur of the arts and an active advocate for social justice and giving back to the community. They perform, create, and support art that pushes a catalyst of equality, liberation and freethinking.
Ross started with LOUD in 2019 as an apprentice and created their first solo piece entitled "Caricature of A Black Clown". They later returned in 2019 as apart of the ensemble and co-created "The Scarlett Rebellion", a full length play that aired virtually in 2020. Later on, in the fall of 2020 Ross became an Assistant Youth Co-Director where they led a group of younger folks through a semester, which led to the production of Chrysilis in early 2022. After the production ended Ross created, devised and produced "A Faces Facade" in the summer a reflection piece on the journey leading other young folks through the process they've done themselves. Ross was then offered to start professional development to transition into the Co-Director role, that their mentor Indee Mitchell decided was time to sunset out of. In that time, they've networked with their community in New Orleans and across the country, learned and honed skills through conferences and workshops, and co- created Phases- a seasonal recurring event. Through all of these experiences, Ross is now proud to hold the Co-Director title that has been passed on to them.
Miss Keyshia Pearl
Operations and Development Co-Director
Miss Keyshia Pearl is an Operations and Development Co-director at LOUD! She/They identify as a Black Indigenous culture bearer of the 7th ward of Bulbancha/New Orleans. She received her B.A. in English from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2024. Miss Pearl spends her free time conducting zoological research on the wild flora and fauna of her neighborhood and the extended region of Southeast Louisiana. She loves to sing, dance, write, and illustrate!
Laura Ekua
Operations & Development Co-Director
Laura (she/her) was hired as LOUD’s Operations Director in September 2023. Her work has largely focused on projects that directly benefit cash poor, working class Black folk in the South. She's organized labor campaigns with Fight for $15, coordinated the New Orleans Black Mama's Bailouts with SONG, led the field strategy against an anti-abortion amendment and currently fundraises & disperses mutual aid and emergency funds. Laura’s goal is to alleviate the suffering of the oppressed. Laura has a degree in Anthropology and is currently a member of BYP100.
Simone Immanuel
Community Partner
Simone’s name Immanuel, means “God is with us”. Through her work she hopes to show that God is with us all. Simone is a multidisciplinary artist/ writer from New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended the New Orleans Center for creative Arts and graduated with her BFA in acting from Ball State University. She is in the 2023-2024 New Orleans museum of arts, creative assembly cohort. In 2022, she finished the Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s Artivism Fellowship and made her Off Broadway debut in the play 7 Minutes by Stefano Massini. Simone’s play I’m Gonna Let it Shine was a Kennedy Center John Cauble award finalist. Recently, Simone worked as an Artist at Work Resident with; the Ashé Cultural arts center and the office of art and film. She worked on projects that highlight the positive impacts of artistic civic engagement in her community. She is a founder of the Bulbancha beholders; a collective that supports the work of young black queer artists. Simones goal is to use her unique experiences to show why representation is one of the most important goals of art in this generation.