Hi, friends! Welcome to my party, I’m so glad you could make it!
In all seriousness, with my graduation fast approaching I wanted to take a moment to self-reflect and have you get to know me a little better.
First of all, I never in my wildest dreams would have ever thought that I, Melanie Gillott, would ever go to school for acting or move 3,000 miles away from home to Hollywood or even decide that one day that I would want to work in the entertainment industry, but one of the things that I’ve learned within my short amount of time on this Earth is that sometimes in life the best things to happen to you are the things that are unexpected. Now, you’re probably saying to yourself: “Well, Melanie, how did you get to where you are now?” You know how when two people like each other but are afraid to do anything about it and then once they finally get together they realize that it was so obvious and that the signs were there all along? When looking back, all the signs were there from the very beginning of my life. So, let’s start at the very beginning…
At three years old, I made my stage debut dancing in a hula skirt as a “Hula Baby” to “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (side note: I also distinctively remember when I was in elementary school, we had a gym program and I danced to the song again while having smiley face plates in my hands, yeah it was a time.) Anyways, that was sign number one.
Coming from a musically inclined family, I have been surrounded by music all my life. From listening to country music with my grandparents, singing and dancing to Singin’ in the Rain in my great-aunt’s house, to even getting to perform in a “Family Band” with some of my relatives, music has been a constant. It wasn’t until one day when I was about five years old that my mother who has played piano for practically her entire life, took me into a music store where we lived. I remember looking at all the instruments in awe (especially the piccolo, I don’t know I used to have an obsession about it maybe because I liked how tiny it was or maybe because I thought it sounded like the word “pickle” who knows) and it just so happened that that very exact day, I had my Halloween party in school so I was all dressed up as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz -- ruby slippers and all (I guess that that could be sign number 2? Also, fun fact: I’ve been Dorothy Gale four times for Halloween) but anyways, there was a woman who had been giving a voice lesson to a young girl in the store and it looked so fun. They were laughing and singing songs that I loved. The woman saw me in the store and she said how she liked my outfit and she had said I looked like one of my favorite actresses, Judy Garland. For days I wouldn’t stop talking about the music store or how much I wanted to work with the woman. A few weeks later, my parents seeing how much it would mean to me, got me vocal lessons and my love of singing had been born. That was sign number 2.
Flash-forward years later, I had to stop dance lessons and vocal lessons due to financial issues/personal life reasons, but there was still this passion inside of me for wanting to tell stories. I kid you not, from the time I could learn how to read and write, I would write stories. There are legit journals in my home that are just filled with whatever was going on in my elementary school brain (a lot that I laugh at now) but I would spend my days in my bubblegum pink bedroom sitting on the floor creating characters and letting my imagination just run free. When I was in eighth grade, I had the opportunity to join a writer’s group with a fantastic group of young women writers.
This next sign I could write an entire blog post on its own, so I will keep it as simple and sweet as I can. When I was twelve years old, when on YouTube had discovered this show called, The Carol Burnett Show. For some reason it looked interesting to me, and I watched an episode where Steve Martin and Betty White had been guests on. My whole world would soon change. This show introduced me into a world of possibilities. I was in awe of Carol Burnett. She could sing, dance, act, and make people laugh. I would spend hours in the mirror making faces and trying to impersonate characters. This was when I knew I had to start acting.
When I was thirteen, I was very fortunate to have seen Vicki Lawrence, who was on The Carol Burnett Show perform at a theatre near my home. I was probably the youngest person there but I didn’t mind. I was getting to see someone perform who I looked up to so much. For my fourteenth birthday, my parents surprised me with tickets to be able to see Carol Burnett herself at the American Music Theater in Lancaster, PA. I was in awe the entire time. Carol Burnett was doing her famous question and answer session at the show but I was very shy and didn’t raise my hand to ask her a question. So, a few days later, I decided to write a letter to her. A couple of weeks later, it was gloomy rainy day and I remember I just wasn’t having a good day, and my mother had gone and got the mail. When she came back, she said that there was a letter for me. On the envelope, was an address all the way from Santa Monica, CA. I opened the envelope and here it was an encouraging letter hand-written from the legend herself, Carol Burnett.
Do you believe in fate? (Comment if you do or if you don’t) but I truly believe that this next sign was fate which led me to pursuing acting school/a professional acting career. My father was reading the newspaper the one day, and this woman and her son had started a percussion group at a local theatre where I lived. My dad, who is a percussionist, and me who is also a percussionist told me that I should join the group. I remember saying to him plain as day: “There is no way I’m doing that, Dad.” The next day, my dad signed me up with him, without telling me first might I add and the next week we were off to rehearsal. I was so nervous because I didn’t really know what to expect but when greeted by the director, “C” I automatically felt at ease. “C” opened a door for me that I never even knew was there. She saw a light in me worth shining and for that I’m forever grateful. She introduced me to her local theatre program: C Glee Musical Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library in Connellsville, PA where I performed in various shows, found my artistic voice, and my love of performing arts. The stage became my safe haven and I craved more. I started taking classes at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy for Musical Theater (shoutout to my acting teacher, Nancy for always believing in my dreams) and performing at community theatres especially Apple Hill Playhouse (which unfortunately and sadly closed during the COVID-19 pandemic) and to which I am forever indebted to. The relationships that I have gotten to make because of art has meant so much to me.
So, to finally answer the question as to how I got to where I am today (You’re probably thinking, finally!!! And if you’ve read this far: Congratulations!) hard work, passion, perseverance, but most importantly, the people who have come along the way. Thank you to all of the good people who have come into my life who have helped me along the way. Without you, I truly would not be where I am and I realize that. I hope to pay it forward as I begin this next chapter in my life because without the positive and kind people who have come into my life, I would not be where I am today. I thank you again. I leave you with this: You are the main character of your life and the writer of your life, too. You are the head writer of your life and you are in control of your narrative regardless of people trying to make changes or re-writes. What story do you want to create? What hat do you want to wear today? You get to decide. Make it a good one.
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