Biography
Starr hails from Scarborough, Ontario, where she grew up the middle child and only girl of two Trinidadians. Believing creativity should always be encouraged she was enrolled in ballet at the age of 3. At 4 years old, her mother discovered a sport called Baton Twirling and although she continued with other dance forms including, jazz, modern and Afro-Caribbean, it was here that Starr found a true passion.
A driving force in her artistic development, her mother helped to commission the first and only catholic arts high-school in Toronto. Starr was among the inaugural students at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Performing Arts with a major in dance. The dance program concentrated on what the administrators believed to be the two primary dance forms: ballet and modern. This only aided Starr in her success as a competitive Baton twirler. Excelling in a sport not known for their minorities, Starr excelled, culminating n the achievement of World Champion at the height of her career. Unfortunately, Starr was forced to leave her beloved sport when her coach made her choose between academics and the very difficult and time consuming gymnastic sport.
After being accepted into the University of Toronto, Starr was thought to have made the right choice. Believing she would one day be a Lawyer, she enrolled in Liberal Arts with one elective in the form of Drama. At the end of the semester the teacher informed her that it would be a waste of her gifts and talents if she did not pursue a career in the arts. The teacher then called all the Post Secondary Music Theatre institutions in Ontario to see if they were still accepting applicants and/or holding auditions for the coming year. The only school still available, happened to be what is known as the best Musical Theatre school in Canada, Sheridan College. Starr had two weeks to prepare what to this day has been the most comprehensive audition of her life. It included, dance, dramatic arts, of which Starr had taken the one course, Music Theory, of which Starr had no experience and Vocal training of which Starr had none. At the end of this long day, Starr was informed that she had been accepted.
An intense 3yr program, Starr excelled once more, receiving employment before even graduating. Her final credits were achieved performing aboard the Disney Cruise Line.
And so her journey as a professional entertainer began. You may have seen Starr in commercials for Ontario Health Care or Nike Sports with Vince Carter, On the Children's show 4Square as one of the 4Tones or as the winner of the Television show Making It Big - Triple Threat, In Made for TV Movies like Cheetah Girls and Eloise at Christmas with legendary Julie Andrews, Or In Feature Films including Honey (Jessica Alba), Talk To Me (Don Cheadle) and most recently Hairspray alongside John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Queen Latifah.
Speaking of Hairspray, she was also in the original Broadway/Canadian production Music/Lyrics written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, Directed by Jack O'Brien and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. Which brings us to her vast stage work. She has performed in such musicals as A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors and original Canadian plays like The Adventures of a Black Girl In Search of God (written and directed by Djanet Sears), to name a few. In Marion J Caffey's 2 woman show Cookin At the Cookery, chronicling the life of Jazz/Blues singer Alberta Hunter, Starr channels twelve characters including a young Alberta, an 80 yr old Jewish man and Louis Armstrong and holds her own with Tony winner Gretha Boston.
She has worked all over Canada and the United States having just completed the 30th Anniversary US National Tour of Aint Misbehavin along side Ruben Studdard (American Idol). Not to mention her first stab at this groundbreaking show was in Toronto with Tony nominated Doug Eskew and Canadian Star Jackie Richardson.
Starr continues to be blessed with a prolific career spanning all the mediums, Stage, Big and Small Screen. Her hard work and determination has adopted her the nickname "The Professional" by the likes of Jamal Sims (choreographer Step Up 2) and yet she remains childlike in her willingness to give with her whole heart in this business. Hard to believe that this tour de force didn't even set out to be a professional entertainer.
