“Hello! Thank you for visiting my site! I assume that since you have then you must have at least a passing interest in me and my life… so please enjoy this brief summary of my existence so far!

I was born in Hitchin on 29 th May 1983 , and raised by wolves (not really - it was by my lovely parents Paul & Grace Gillions). I was educated at Samuel Lucas JMI and then at the mostly Navy-Blue coloured Hitchin Girls' School. It was here I first sang on stage in front of people, in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by John McCabe. I played Lucy, and I looked extremely fetching in my white cardigan and T-bar sandals thank you very much.

At 14, having discovered I could actually hold a tune, I joined the Young Arcadians, and was with them for 4 years, during which time I was in “Godspell”, “Anything Goes”, “Billy” and “Calamity Jane”. Many a musical theatre star was a member of YA - Katy Rowley Jones (who's currently in Wicked on the west end) and of course Glyn Doggett and Sheena Boyce!!

After my A-levels (Music, Drama and French - all Bs) I took a year out and worked behind the fish counter at Sainsbury's. The smell of fish stays on your hands for days after your shift is over. However, my experience there inspired the character “Cheryl”, as whom I have performed two monologues - one at Madame Jojo's and the other at the Market Theatre. Then I got my place at Hertfordshire Theatre School , and spent the first year realising I was crap, and the next two years attempting not to be.

My favourite things at HTS were the farce 2004 and Musical Moments 2005. Oh, and winning the house cup TWICE! Also, because of HTS I will perpetually be referred to as ‘laura g' by everyone (or as ‘giz' by certain people, but let's not go in to that…!)

Oh yeah, and I play the piano! Wasn't sure where to slip that in…

I started learning when I was 9. My sight-reading was always pretty good but it was pushed to the limits at HTS when various people would thrust random songs in front of me that I'd never heard of and get me to play them into their dictaphones. (Damn you Jason Robert Brown!)

I've also played the clarinet since I was 12, but soon discovered you can't accompany yourself with the clarinet. Yes I did try. Joined a few orchestras (my fave was the North Herts Youth Jazz Orchestra - conducted by the genius Chris Pyne - with whom I played and sang, though not at the same time.) Also tried teaching myself the Bass Guitar but I'm fairly rubbish. The volume knob's totally knackered anyway. I have a sneaking suspicion the guitar (which was a gift a while ago) may have fallen off the back of a lorry…

Anyway, after I left HTS I went to New York for a month to study film acting at the New York Film Academy . I had to fly on a plane by myself. By myself, do you understand??!! It was SO amazing living there, even for a li'l while! My dad told me it would be impossible to get lost because everything's in blocks but I managed it.

However; I discovered bagels and sushi, I mastered the subway, I saw “Avenue Q” ON BROADWAY and Mike Myers lived up the road from me! I shared an apartment with a bloke called Kevin from Philadelphia . He was lovely but he smoked a lot. And it wasn't tobacco. I met some really cool people from all over the place - Brittini from San Diego , Alex from Toronto , Parker from Vermont , Lise from Brazil and Oli from Bristol ! My teachers were wicked, particularly Bob Goodman and Kurt Braunholer (who was the improv teacher. Americans are so good at improv, bless ‘em!) I did have an argument with one teacher who told me I was pronouncing ‘urinal' wrong. No love, YOU'RE pronouncing it wrong; I'm English and we happened to have invented the sodding language!! Yeah I'm anal about language - blame my mother. I have a tendency to correct people's grammar… maybe that's why I have no friends…

In September, the brand new "North Herts All Girls Choir" will begin, with me at the helm! It's a choir for teenage girls in the area, run by me and assisted by the lovely Kelly Bibb. A link to the NHAGC website will appear here soon!

Well that about brings us up to date - all my acting jobs are on my CV if you want to read about them. And if you're desperate for every last detail drop me a line!

Thanks for dropping by, do sign the guestbook and feel free to come back any time! Or visit me on myspace.com/lauragillions.

Keep your eye on my homepage for news, because obviously you don't want me to get famous and you not to notice!

laura xxxx