Hello! My name is Leilani Carr and I am a New York based performer! I was born and raised in Garner, North Carolina but I've always wanted to move to the city. Every child is asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?” This simple question to expand young ones minds and push them to follow their dreams, slowly becomes one of the most difficult questions they'll answer in their teenage or adult life. I am 22 years old, fresh out of college, and this is the time for real life. This is when you truly buckle down with your career choices. Some people take that as a wakeup call, realizing that they need to inject a dose of practical reality into their dreams. I, however, am still that little kid that believes I can be anything I want to be. 

When I was asked that question at age 3, I said that I wanted to be a singer, dancer, actress, and star on Broadway. As I grew up, I pursued that very goal. I started dance classes at age 4 and performed whenever I could. I acquired a vocal coach when I was 8 and soon after started taking acting classes. In 2009, I had the privilege of being in my first real show: Raleigh Little Theatre's Production of Cinderella. I was eight years old. It was one of my first experiences of being a part of something I worked hard for and loved. Not only was I performing, but I was performing alongside people who loved it as much as I did. A realization swept over me, a feeling that this is where I belonged, with people who share my love for the theatre. If there was any doubt in my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up, it vanished the second I was on that stage. I was fortunate enough to begin training at North Carolina Theatre Conservatory when I was 11 years old. Through the conservatory I trained 5 days a week. I eventually became a Teacher Assistant and was a part of the conservatory’s Elite companies. I continued to perform in local theatres while I was training and at the age of 16 I was cast in my first regional production, North Carolina Theatre’s Grease. I was a featured soloist as well as ensemble. It was such an amazing experience getting the chance to work with professionals. It only reaffirmed my love for theatre and the joy of being around people that wanted exactly what I wanted in life. After Grease I had the honor of being cast in several more NCT regional productions: Mary Poppins, Spamalot, and Jesus Christ Superstar. I also continued to perform with the conservatory and was cast as Soul Girl in Jesus Christ Superstar, Irene Roth in Crazy For You, and Mrs. Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. All I wanted to do as a kid was perform. I was so grateful to have a space to be completely myself. That passion led me to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre at Pace University.

I’m now an adult and nothing's changed. People still ask me what I want to be when I grow up, but I am one of the lucky ones who gets to repeat my story of childhood dreams. I refuse to put my dreams on the back burner. I know the risks and challenges that I will have to face, but it doesn't slow me down. I graduated from Pace University with a BFA in Musical Theatre in 2021. There are times I miss being home. Sometimes I want a hug from my family, other times I’m craving a 4 piece supreme dinner from my favorite fast food chain, Bojangles, but I’m truly so happy following my dreams here in Brooklyn. Along the way, I picked up a passion for headshot/lifestyle photography and have made it into a small business! I also developed a love for making encaustic art or stickers with inside jokes for the casts and crews of every show I’m in.

Nowadays when I’m not on stage or doing a photoshoot I’m on the couch watching anime with my partner and my “smol bean” cat, Geraldine. I rarely run out of energy but when I’m alone, having decompression time, you'll most likely find me under a weighted blanket with coffee ice cream and binging a show I’ve already seen several times.

Recently I had the privilege to perform as Lydia Bennet in SheNYC Summer Theatre Festival's production of Pride and Prejudice, a new Dillon&Caps musical adaptation. I also was a featured ensemble member in Forestburgh Playhouse's Production of Something Rotten. Also, I had the amazing privilege to perform as Janet in a concert version of Rocky Horror Picture Show at 3 Dollar Bill and I most recently spent the summer of 2023 at Clear Space Theatre as Mary (JCSS), an Angel + U/S Lola (Kinky Boots), and Perch Perkins (Spongebob Squarepants the Musical).

I'm greatly looking forward to my first Don't Tell Mama performance on December 5th at 7:00pm! Please get your tickets at http://shows.donttellmamanyc.com