Hello! My name is Kat Donovan McElhenie, and I am an actor, singer, dancer, and makeup artist. Some of my favorite roles include Edwin Drood in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” Ya-Wi in “Aliens V. Cheerleaders,” and Pilar in “Legally Blonde.” I have been on various makeup crews and makeup designed for shows like “The Wiz!”, “Chicago,” and “Midsummer.”

     Outside of school, I am a professional makeup artist. I have a TikTok page with over 37 thousand followers, where I post makeup tutorials. I do makeup for events, short films, and productions.

     At the age of 3, my mother signed me up for dance classes. I have been obsessed with performing ever since. Little 3-year-old me completely lit up on stage. Dancing was first, and soon after, I developed a love for singing. My mom used to record videos of me in my bedroom sneakily. I would pop my Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry CDs in my little boom box and perform for my stuffed animals as I watched myself in the mirror. I thought I was a pop star performing for all my adoring fans. In reality, it was just my mother for whom I was performing. 

     One particular day, my family dragged me to our local high school to see their Phantom of the Opera performance. It was my first live performance, and I was hooked. I was obsessed with every little detail of the set and costumes, but the second the chandelier crashed on the stage, I was in another world. I begged my mother to take me to more shows and place me in theater camps.

      Ever since then, I have dedicated myself to acting and performing. I absolutely adore the craft. A life in the performing arts is a life of expressing oneself. We can change another person’s outlook for the day and even their outlook on life. I can see myself bringing a little joy to others, even for a few hours a day. I’d like them to leave their worries behind while they are held captive by a performance that has taken them to a faraway place or filled them with joy. This is why I want to pursue a life in the performing arts. Performing benefits me as well as others.