Carrie St. Louis on Her Transformation From Opera Singer to Belting ‘80s Babe in Rock of Ages

Age: 24

Hometown: Palm Desert, CA

Current Role: A Broadway debut as small-town girl Sherrie Christian, who takes a midnight train to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress in Rock of Ages.

Stage & Screen Cred: Before originating the role of Sherrie in the Las Vegas production of Rock of Ages, St. Louis appeared in regional productions of The Fix and Justin Love.

“I recently watched a video of my pre-school Christmas concert. I thought if I sang louder than everybody else that I was the best, and I made sure everyone around me was doing the dance moves the way they’re supposed to. That’s when it all started.”

“When I was a kid, I played softball. It wasn’t really a success, although I’m sure the Broadway Softball League wishes that weren’t true! I don’t want to go out there and embarrass myself yet, but maybe over time I’ll grow a pair of balls.”

“I thought I was going to be an opera singer, but after two years of studying [at USC], I realized I'd always go home and belt showtunes in my car. I want to stick with what I'm really passionate about. But I’d love be in Cinderella or Phantom one day.”

“My parents told me not to audition for Rock of Ages. They were like, ‘Oh no, you’re an opera soprano, don’t hurt your voice auditioning for this.’ They regret that so much, ‘cause it totally changed my life.”

“Rock of Ages crowds in Vegas were really rowdy. They were ready to party! And then sometimes, they'd get so drunk that they'd fall asleep by the second act.”

“Instead of walking through a casino with [slot] machines and people drinking and smoking, I now go down Theater Row to get to work, with all these actors I’ve looked up to for a long time walking down the street. It’s so crazy that this is where I live!”