New Orleans's weekly arts and entertainment discussion show is celebrating 35 years of airing on NOLA televisions. Steppin' Out, created and hosted by local TV personality Peggy Scott Laborde, will be premiering its 35th Anniversary Edition today, March 18, at 7 p.m. on New Orleans's long-running PBS station WYES-TV/Channel 12. There will also be a re-airing of the special on Friday, March 19, at 11 p.m. on WYES, wyes.org/live, the WYES app, and WYES's YouTube page.
Laborde will be joined by Poppy Tooker (author and radio host for Louisiana Eats!) and Alan Smason (owner and founder of theatrecriticism.com), as well as WWL-TV's Alfred Richard and The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate's Doug MacCash, who will all discuss important culinary, theatre, film, artistic, and other cultural moments in New Orleans's history over the past 35 years.
"With the support of the community, WYES has been able to cover the history and culture of our city on Steppin' Out," Laborde stated. "During these trying times, we feel that now more than ever that it's important to spread the word about the creativity and resilience ever present in New Orleans. While we certainly focus on what's new, it's only fitting that we recall important moments in this historic city. It is a time to relish the rich heritage we have here."
Steppin' Out had its local television debut on March 19, 1986, on WLAE-TV, where it ran for two years until Laborde went to WYES and has remained ever since. Some of Steppin' Out's featured guests throughout its history have included Carnival historians Arthur Hardy and Errol Laborde, WDSU theatre critic Al Shea, and Times-Picayune writer David Cuthbert. The show has also featured musical performances by some of New Orleans's best like Allen Toussaint, Deacon John Moore, Benny Grunch & The Bunch, and many, many more.
