The 18-year-old stood at center stage with tears streaming from her eyes. These were not tears of sorrow but rather tears of joy. She had learned at a young age that when life’s storms appear, the show must always go on.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated her small town of Braithwaite, La., what remained of 12-year-old Ellen Beaucoudray‘s former life ceased to exist. However, the storm was unable to take away her desire for performing on stage.

“The stage is my second home. Acting is me, and I can act anywhere,” Beaucoudray said. 

Beaucoudray was born and raised in a small rural town of Braithwaite, La., in Plaquemines Parish on the southeastern coast of Louisiana. She was a shy and timid girl who had trouble making friends. Her cloistered personality did not stop her from finding a passion for singing and dancing early in life.

She saw her first play production, “Cats the Musical,” at the age of 3. In the sixth-grade, with a push from her mother, she auditioned for St. Marks Jr. High School’s production of “School House Rock” and was cast the lead as Shooly to sing, “Unpack your Adjectives”. After starring in her first production, the stage became her second home.

                “I excelled at acting and it makes me feel beautiful. I feel beautiful. I feel like I can do anything,” Beaucoudray said. “I love entertaining others and showing them what I can do.”

                The euphoria that she felt on stage would become an addiction to the young girl. She would be involved in eight different productions before 2005. However, later that year, disaster would strike her hometown.