User:Kelly Sullivan/sandbox

Kelly Sullivan (born February 3, 1978) is an American actress. She is currently portraying the role of Kate Howard on General Hospital (2011–present). Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Sullivan grew up dancing in ballet companies and singing in school choirs. A classically trained singer who's equally gifted as a dancer, that's a rare combo, but Sullivan pursued these two seemingly incompatible specialties from a young age in rural Washington. She won the soprano division in a state singing competition. In high school, she received many awards and praised for her voice, which got her a full scholarship to "Arizona State University", later graduated with honors. After graduating from Arizona State Sullivan moved to New York City in 2000 to pursue her dream of performing on "Broadway".

Sullivan has since moved to Los Angeles in the beginning of 2011, where she lives in Santa Monica with her boyfriend, actor and photographer Eric Schneider, and their two Golden Doodles. She, enjoys surfing, hiking, and rock climbing.

Theatre
Kelly Sullivan moved to New York and quickly found success as a dancer when she got an ensemble role in the 2001 Broadway revival of Bells Are Ringing, which had a short run. Sullivan then joined the ensemble in the Tony-winning dance musical Contact. While working on the musical Contact, Sullivan also appeared in the "Springtime for Hitler" number as well as Susan Stroman's film version of The Producers but never got the chance to chat with Mel Brooks until her Young Frankenstein audition. "It was such a warm, positive experience," she says of meeting with Stroman, Brooks and a pack of producers. When the powers-that-be heard the bubbly blonde's pure soprano, the atmosphere got even warmer. Soon, however, the reality of replacing Sutton Foster as Inga kicked in. "Sutton makes everything look easy," Sullivan says with a laugh. "I had watched her on that hay cart [in the rollicking "Roll in the Hay" number] and thought, 'Okay, that's do-able.' But when I started rehearsals, I just said, 'You've got to be kidding. I can't do this!' It's a beautifully choreographed number and I've had to work very hard to try to make those details look seamless. And I'm yodeling, which is something I've never done before!" Wanting to break into lead roles and out of the chours, Sullivan head out West to the regional theaters, spending the next few years in St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Chicago and more. "When I thought about where I wanted to be in five years, I saw myself doing roles like Inga [in Young Frankenstein]," she explains, "and I said, 'What do I need to do to prepare myself?' Working regionally is wonderful because it gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself." A personal highlight: playing Chicago's Roxie Hart for adoring audiences in Salt Lake City. "They treated us like rock stars!" she says. "Doing anything Fosse will change your life, but feeling the energy from those audiences in that show was unbelievable." Outside of New York City, Sullivan also appeared in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, as Marion in Robin and the 7 Hoods, as Hope Harcourt, the second lead, in Anything Goes, Pam in The Full Monty, and Clair in On the Town. She’s also gained experience in front of the camera, too, in the musical film The Producers and several non-musical films. Her television credits include One Life to Live, As The World Turns, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent