Hi! My name is Bella McKay, and I am a professional musical theater performer originally from Nashville, Tennessee. I earned my BFA in Musical Theater from Texas Christian University, where I spent four years learning, laughing, and of course singing and dancing. I am a big mixer and power-belter with a quirky side, and I thrive at playing connected, emotionally grounded characters that also like an adventure. My dream role is Veronica Sawyer in Heathers, and something she and I share in common is we both enjoy a Slurpee and watching movies with Jiffy Pop with our best friends. When I am not performing, you will find me either shopping, making an iced latte (do not ask me how many I drink in a day, I promise you don’t want to know the answer), or cooking and baking for my friends!

 

         I love spending time with my sisters and my friends, but above all, my mom is my best friend and biggest inspiration. I describe her to be a mixture of Sookie and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls (if you haven’t seen it, you should). My mother ignited my passion to bake from a very young age, when she started her cookie business out of our home when I was in fourth grade (originally called “Sugar Bella” but she claims to not have a favorite child). She opened a storefront called “Hey Sugar” specializing in custom cookies and frozen custard when I was fifteen years old, and I worked there until they closed their doors five years later. During that time, I learned more about hard work and persistence in the walls of my mom’s store than high school had ever taught me. Sometimes getting things done and done well meant extra hours, having to restart an entire batch of cookies because you forgot sugar, and putting on some really good 80’s music to get you through the holiday rush seasons. All of these valuable lessons carried over into my art, and have manifested in new ways that make be a better person and performer to this day. 

 

          That’s me in a nutshell! I believe in hard work, love, having a larger-than-average sweet tooth, family, friends, and the power of music. Thanks for taking a few minutes to read a little about me! <3