New Orleans actor, director Luis Q. Barroso dies at 78 | Entertainment / Lifestyle

Luis Q. Barroso, a theater man with decades of work in front of and behind the scenes Made in New Orleans, died Monday at his home in Bywater. He is 78 years old.

The cause of death has not been determined, said Charlie Hayes, a friend who worked with Barroso for years at the Tulane Summer Lyric Theater.

If there was a building with a stage in the New Orleans area, Barroso might work there, either as a stage performer or as a producer or director. In the 1970s alone he worked at the Puppet Theatre, The People’s Theatre, the Nord Opera House, the St. Charles Community Theater and the Summer Lyric Theatre. He has since performed, produced or directed shows at Rivertown Repertory Theatre, Southern Repertory Theatre, Delgado Community College Theatre, University Theater of New Orleans, Le Chat Noir, Minacapelli’s Dinner Theatre, NORD Theater and The Contemporary Arts Center. In 2002 he became Interim Art Director of DRAMA! troupe.

He also produced industrial entertainment for conferences under the banner of LUQBAR Productions and directed a show for Italian Village at the 1984 World’s Fair.

“he used to be theater,” said David Cuthbert, a former Times-Picayune theater critic. “He was a beautiful talent, and he spread his talent. “

Barroso worked mainly with adult performers, but he also directed children’s theater at the Gallery Circle Theater and then worked as artistic director of production at the Children’s Corner at Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré.

Peggy Scott Laborde, one of his fledgling actors at Le Petit, is now a senior producer for WYES-TV.

“I’m always impressed with the teenagers in these plays, that he didn’t treat us like little kids,” she said. “He treats us like one actor treats another. It’s community theater, but it’s an opportunity for you to keep your fingers crossed and do your best. … Professionalism is always there, but with him It’s always fun to be together.

When Laborde graduated from Cabrini High in 1971, Barroso was known for producing high-quality plays—so much so that the nuns allowed Laborde to be late for her graduation because she had to do a “The Little Mermaid” matinee.

“They get it,” she said. “They knew it was a very valuable opportunity. He was so respected.”

Luis Quintin Barroso, a native of Havana, immigrated to Florida with his family in 1955. He discovered a love of acting at Jackson High School in Miami and was awarded a full scholarship to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He came to New Orleans when Tulane University offered him a full scholarship to a master’s program in art direction. Although Barroso took graduate courses at Tulane University and Kitano University, he did not earn a master’s degree.

In 1980, after visiting to direct productions in Atlanta, he accepted a position at the city’s Center for Puppet Arts. Several of his shows toured the country; some performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Barroso returned to New Orleans in 1999 and began working as an instructor in the Orleans Parish Public Schools’ Theater Talents program. He also performed with the Dog and Pony Theater Company in their “Shakespeare in the Park” production.

He has received awards from the New Orleans Musical Theater Foundation and the New Orleans Arts Council. At the 2013 Big Easy Awards, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award. He last performed on stage in 2017 as part of Summer Lyric’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Despite years of experience and awards, Barroso never forgot the thrill of performing in front of a live audience. In a 2004 interview with Cuthbert, he was enthusiastic about his role as Mr. Muchnik, who meets a tragic fate in “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“I just love being eaten by plants!” he said. “Isn’t it an actor’s dream to have a death scene swallowed by a giant plant? Every time we do it, we’re thrilled!”

Survivors include nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.