I’ve lived in New York for 13 years, but Chicago will always be my home. I grew up on the south side in the town of Beverly and began dancing at the Beverly Arts Center, continuing my training at Lou Conte Dance Studio, home of Hubbard Street Dance. I attended Mother McAuley High School where I performed in every fall musical production. My summers were spent either taking dance class, performing with the 99th Street Summer Theatre, or scooping ice cream for Rainbow Cone at the Taste of Chicago!
As a little girl, I was so fortunate to have parents who brought me downtown to see every touring show, every ballet, and quite a few Bulls games as well. My father and uncle used to sleep outside the old Chicago Stadium to get $12 nosebleed seats to see Michael Jordan. But I will never forget sitting in the audience of The Nutcracker, watching the beautiful ballerinas, and dreaming of one day being onstage. After years of training and auditioning, I’ve been fortunate enough to perform professionally both nationally and internationally. I even accomplished my lifetime goal of performing on Broadway just last year! But nothing can compare to returning home to perform on the very stage where I first discovered my love of theatre.
You can catch Karen in ‘ELF The Musical’ at the Cadillac Palace Theatre now through December 15th. Click here to buy your tickets now for this special holiday treat!
