An alumnus of Slidell Little Theatre’s young actors program, WWL-TV meteorologist Alexandra Cranford is the Honorary Chairwoman of the 5th Annual Northshore Gumbo Cook-Off benefitting youth programs sponsored by Slidell Little Theatre and the Northshore Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction.
A participant in the Young Actors Theatre of Slidell program – YATS – Cranford appeared in several youth productions in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
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| Alexandra Cranford |
Cranford adds that live theatre, even at an early age, gave
her the courage to explore beyond her comfort zone and provided her with skills
she still uses today.
“Community theatre was a wonderful
thing for me as a kid,” she says. “I’m naturally pretty quiet and reserved, and
the theatre gave me a place to break out of my shell a little. It made me
realize that doing things in front of an audience isn’t scary – it can be
interesting and satisfying. And that applies to my career today. Back then I
performed in plays; today I deliver forecasts in a newscast. Learning to adlib
comes in handy today, too, especially since weather people don’t use TelePrompTers!”
A native of Slidell, Cranford attended St. Margaret Mary Catholic
School and Slidell High and graduated summa cum laude in 2009 from Louisiana
State University in Baton Rouge where she served as Chief Forecaster for LSU’s
campus news program and worked in a Biological Sciences Laboratory as part of
her LSU Chancellor’s Scholarship.
A baker at heart, Cranford says even though she grew up with
gumbo and loves it to this day, she has never attempted to make it. “I like to
cook, but somehow I’ve never tried to make my own gumbo,” she says. “I’m better
at baking. I’ve made quite a few bread puddings, which I think of as the
dessert version of gumbo. They’re both rich and southern, and each one is a
little different.”
But when she does decide to make her own gumbo, she’ll
likely turn for advice from her personal favorite gumbo king – her dad.
“My dad is the gumbo specialist in my family,” says
Cranford. “He even makes his own gumbo filé from local sassafras leaves. When I
was a kid, the filé made me sneeze. Now I love it!”
Whether with filé or with okra, Cranford says she really isn’t
too choosey about her gumbo, just as long as it has seafood in it. “I love
shrimp, oysters, crabs, anything from the water,” she says.
The Northshore Gumbo Cook-Off will be held Saturday, March
22, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Bethany Lutheran Church at
the corner of 8th Street and Gause Boulevard in Slidell.
Team registration is currently being accepted; applications
are available online at www.SlidellLittleTheatre.org.
The cost to register a team is $75.00. Business sponsorship opportunities are
available, too. Email your questions to northshoregumbo@gmail.com or call
(985) 960-1177 or (985) 285-0737.
Funds raised
through the annual Northshore Gumbo Cook-Off will be shared equally between the
two non-profit organizations to help each organization expand its local outreach
projects that will enrich the lives of more than 17,000 school-age children,
young adults and seniors in our community.
SLT will direct
its proceeds toward the “Next Stage” project that will allow the Theatre to
expand and add to its young actors theatre program. The Northshore NAWIC
chapter will utilize its proceeds to allow the organization to expand programs
like Block Kids, CAD and hand drafting contests, college scholarships and more.
The Northshore’s premier community theatre since 1963, Slidell Little Theatre is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, all-volunteer organization
dedicated to engaging, educating, and involving members of the community in
high quality theatrical productions. SLT is supported by a grant from the
Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of
Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts
Council as administered by the St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs.
Yes I would love to meet her one day in person 😊
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