Lara Paquette is an arts educator, theater-maker, and mentor with more than twenty years of experience working with young people. She is drawn to creative spaces where students are trusted with real responsibility and supported as they learn by doing. Her work centers ensemble-based learning, collaboration, and the belief that meaningful growth happens both onstage and behind the scenes.
“I’ve wanted to build a youth theater program for a long time, but the timing became clear more recently. Watching my son fall in love with stage crew, and seeing students thrive when trusted to take real ownership of both performance and production work, made this feel like the right moment to begin.”
Lara holds a Master’s degree in Educational Theater from NYU and has worked in a range of youth theater settings, including earlier work with Rosie’s Theater Kids. Over the years, she has taught, directed, and mentored students in both performance and production roles, shaping how she thinks about leadership, collaboration, and the role adults play in creative spaces.
She currently works as a high school guidance counselor in New York City and serves as the drama club advisor for a student-led theater program at her school. In that role, students take on leadership positions both onstage and behind the scenes, while Lara focuses on providing structure, guidance, and steady support. Those experiences directly informed Footlights’ student-run model.
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Welcome to Footlights Theater Co. 