Mia Leahy hails from Ireland where she was passionate from an early age about dance; ballet, Irish dancing and American tap, singing, and music, reciting poetry, and making up plays. This led to an exodus to London after a year at Cork University studying the Greeks and dancing a lot.
Formed a highly unsuccessful punk band called the Nude Usherettes and thought the better of it and applied to drama school. She had encouragement and support from great actors like Kate Beswick, Derek Fowlds, Martin Cochrane, and Gilly Gabriel who accompanied her to audition for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she spent three arduous and magic years with some of the best in the profession; Patsy Rodenburg and Sue Lefton to name a few.
Followed by years of theatre and some radio in England, Scotland, and Wales with an agent who was also a friend.
Then a U-turn to do a degree at Goldsmith UCL in French Stage, Philosophy, and Cinema. The reading list was eclectic to say the least. Adding French literature to her love of all things old, middle and modern English, she ran away to Paris on completion of her degree.
Years of teaching business English, a little writing, and some hard times – another U-turn to train as a coach and then theatre came knocking enthusiastically at the door again twelve years ago.