Instructors
TOPHER WARREN:: Musical Theatre Audition Techniques for Adults, Musical Theatre Audition Techniques, Improv for Teens High School, and The PLT Academy
A native of Gulf Breeze, Florida, Topher has been performing on the Pensacola stage for over 20 years and is even an alumnus of PLT’s education program from the early 2000s. After graduating from Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida with a BFA in Musical Theatre, Topher toured with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, performing and teaching children all across the United States and Canada. He then relocated to Atlanta, Ga, where he worked as an Actor and Director before returning to the Sunshine State. Topher servers on the Artistic, Treehouse, and Studio 400 Committee.
He is also a member of the Florida Association for Theatre Educators (FATE) as well as the American Association of Community Theatre. Some of his favorite stage credits include The Gryphon (Alice in Wonderland), Charlie Brown (Snoopy the Musical), Mr. Hart (9-5), Lancelot (Spamelot), The Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz), Toad (A Year with Frog and Toad), Nick Bottom (Something Rotten), Mal Beineke (The Addams Family) and Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof). Directing credits include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jr, the musical [Title of Show], the People’s Choice Award winner for Studio 400 in 2014, and the musical 13, the People's Choice Award winner for Treehouse in 2024 and winner of Inweekly’s Best of the Coast for Best Theatre Production in 2024.
Anna “AJ” Johnson:: Stage Sprouts, Acting for Kids, Musical Theatre for Kids, Imrov for teens - middle school, Acting for kids homeschool edition
Anna “AJ” Johnson graduated from Samford University with a BFA in Theatre for Youth. She has taught theater and dance in the United States, Haiti, and Taiwan. Her work in nonverbal storytelling was featured in the BroadwayWorld blog. Growing up in Pensacola, AJ danced at Ballet Pensacola for nine years, which led to her love of dance and focus on movement-based acting and nonverbal storytelling. In addition to teaching, AJ is a performer and a writer.
She has appeared in several Pensacola Little Theatre productions (A Chorus Line, Cinderella, and The Cat’s Meow). Her original scripts have won several awards (Love isn’t Real, “Original Script of the Decade” from BroadwayWorld Birmingham 2020; Lost and Found, “Audience’s Choice” from the Samford Theatre Short Film Festival 2020). When she isn’t teaching, dancing, or writing, AJ is a Research Coordinator at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. She has a passion for encouraging and educating young artists.
BRANDI HICKS LANE :: THE plt ACADEMY
A native of Pensacola, Brandi has been active at Pensacola Little Theatre since her debut as one of the 3 Blind Mice in Mini Masquers Babes in Toyland in when she was 5. After high school, she realized that working behind the scenes was where her interests actually lie, and has been mostly in backstage roles since then. She has directed and stage managed for all 3 of PLT's series, most recently directing Puffs. When she's not at PLT, she's a Supervisor for the Healthy Families program at Children's Home Society.
Bandon Mayo :: Dungeons and Dragons
Brandon has been playing and running roleplaying games for over 20 years and is excited to introduce a newer generation of gamers to the fun, excitement, creativity, and adventure of D&D. He has been a volunteer at PLT since 2018, acting and directing in shows like The End of Jack Cruz, Legally Blonde, and Incorruptible.
Justin Gaylard :: Musical Theatre Audition Techniques and Musical Theatre Audition Techniques for Adults
Justin Gaylard is no stranger to cattle call auditions. Auditioning and performing while getting his BFA in Musical Theatre from MHU took him from dinner theater to professional summer stock to theme parks to everywhere in between. An extended contract doing a children’s show at Busch Gardens fueled the fire for Justin’s other passion: teaching. Hundreds of students, several grade levels, and a Masters degree later, he now works to support teachers within Escambia County schools.
Over the years, you may have seen Justin onstage as Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer and Man 1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at PLT or Fredrick Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein at PSC. His choreography was seen onstage last season in 13 the Musical at PLT.
He is excited to combine his passion for the arts with his passion for teaching in this fun and essential class!
Mary Husar :: acting for teens - middle school and Acting for adults
Mary Husar recently moved to Florida and is excited to be an instructor with Pensacola Little Theatre. She graduated with a BFA in Acting from The University of Nebraska, and then attended the MA Theatre Program at The University of Illinois. Mary was named one of the top ten directors to watch by The Chicago Sun Times, and in addition to directing and acting in Chicago for over a decade, Mary has also worked and lived in New York and Boston, as an actress, director and instructor.
Mary has taught acting and other theatre-related courses to students ranging in age from 4-80, from novices to Academy Award winning actors. Mary served as the Theatre Department Chair at a Community College in the Midwest, a position that was both challenging and rewarding.
In addition, Mary also serves as a dialect coach, her credits include “Canyon Del Muerto”, a Netflix film, and most recently as an instructor for The Film Academy at Acting Out Birmingham. Mary has appeared in over 50+ commercials, several films and has acted in dozens of theatre productions. As a director, she has directed over 35+ productions for regional and community theatres. She has been a proud member of Sag/AFTRA and AEA for decades and is currently represented by Aligned Stars in Atlanta.
Jacob Petersen :: acting for Kids
With fourteen years of performance experience in improv, comedy, and drama, Jacob is now pivoting to learning playwriting, musical writing, and directing. Jacob practiced acting at LaBelle Performing Arts with Red Carpet Actors Society along with a brief stint practicing improv at Pensacola Little Theatre. Jacob also graduated from the University of West Florida with a BFA in English-Writing and a minor in Theatre. He started his professional journey with PLT while interning under the Education Director, Topher Warren.
Jacob’s passion is to bring new, young voices to theatre and guide students into knowing which aspect of theatre is their calling.
In addition to his various roles at LaBelle Performing Arts including Shrek in Shrek, Ram Dass and The Little Princess, and The Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, Jacob understudied Avery in The Flick at Pensacola Little Theatre. Jacob also wrote Chatter for Pensacola Little Theatre's 24 Hour Theatre, Jane for LaBelle Performing Arts, and is currently working on upcoming projects.