actress | dancer | singer
Born to Entertain:
Kaitlyn Louise Smith graduated as a B.F.A. student in musical theatre at Indiana University. She was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up dancing her heart out at the Professional Dance Center with Gerri Stretz and Yvonne Meyer. She continued to perform and became involved with musical theatre when she made her MUNY Kids debut in 2007 in Peter Pan.
After years of performing at the MUNY and other community theatres around St. Louis, choreographing for her studio and dance team, and voice training with Sheila Dugan, Kaitlyn headed to Indiana University in 2012. In college, Kaitlyn played Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Little Red in Into the Woods.
Professionally, she played Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray for Cardinal Stage Company and Mrs. Mayor in Seussical for Indiana Festival Theatre. She spent her college summers working professionally at the MUNY in St. Louis doing featured ensemble in Shrek the Musical, South Pacific, Grease, The Addams Family, The Wizard of Oz, Young Frankenstein and All Shook Up. She has also gotten the opportunity to choreograph many projects including Rocky Horror Show, 35mm, Hello Again, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and even flash mobs and music videos!
Kaitlyn graduated with Highest Distinction and was a 4.0 student at Indiana University. She was the Director of University Players (the student theatre group), the Hoosier Tap Company, and the Hutton Honors Council Association. Kaitlyn was featured in Indiana University's Alumni Magazine article "The Next Ten" for being one of IU's most amazing and promising students.
In her first year of New York, Kaitlyn worked for the world-renowned non-profit, The National Dance Institute, teaching dance to elementary school students as free in-school programming. She also somehow became a business manager for the Indiana-based film company, Pigasus Pictures. She wears many hats needless to say. A year ago, she decided it was time for a change of pace and cruised on the Mediterranean Sea on Royal Carribbean's Symphony of Seas as Tracy Turnblad in HAIRSPRAY. Recently, Kaitlyn announced she will be touring the US in the First National Mean Girls Broadway Tour!
To read IU's Alumni Magazine's "The Next Ten", click here.
