Professor Hoover has directed over 50 productions for the University of New Orleans during his tenure. Professionally he has acted and/or directed more than 50 productions in the New Orleans area. He has taught for over 37 years at the college level, 32 of which have been at UNO. He served as the chair of the Department of Film and Theatre for 10 years. He has been the major professor for over 50 MFA Graduates, 95% of whom work in the field or an ancillary area.   He has directed numerous stage and screen luminaries such as Alec Baldwin, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, John Goodman, Elizabeth Ashley, Stephanie Zimbalist, and Kent McKord.

Internationally, Professor Hoover has lectured at the Universite de Sorbonne, taught in Italy and Mexico.  Nationally he has garnered two bronze medallions and one gold medallion from the Kennedy Center for recognition of service to the academy.   He has received Distinguished Recognition by the Kennedy Center for his production of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and For the Love of Helium.  His directing work has been invited to the regional festival of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival eight times.  He is the recipient of the ATHE prize for Innovative Teaching, the Legacy Award from Omicron Delta Kappa, Playwriting award for the Le Chat Noir One-Act Playwriting Competition, an Artist Fellowship from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, and the coveted Career Achievement Award in Research presented by the Alumni Association of UNO.  Professor Hoover has also won multiple Big Easy, Storer Boone, Marquee, and Ambie awards for his acting and directing work.

Professor Hoover has created three different courses for majors at UNO including Script Analysis, Stage Management, and Combat for Stage and Film.  In addition to his acting/directing work, Professor Hoover is a writer currently working on an acting text for use in the academy.  He serves on three boards of directors encompassing his passion for theatre, education, and literature.  His award winning play, Casting Stones, received critical raves.  The play deals with the issue of Gay Conversion Therapy.  He is a proud member of the 610 Stompers for whom he has directed three Holiday Spectaculars in collaboration with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Why Study With Me

The words I use to define an excellent theatre artist are the same I use to define an excellent educator: discipline, passion, preparation, flexibility, collaboration, civility, context, humor, humanity, humility, grace, presence, punctuality, individuality, living in the moment, and a genuine love of craft. These traits are valuable in either lecture or performance training. They are the standards by which I operate as a teacher/artist.