C.W. Post Alumna Take Hollywood by Storm

If you're a fan of the ABC hit-series, "Grey's Anatomy," you may have noticed a new character this season, an intern named Graciela, played by C.W. Post's own Gloria Garayua (B.F.A. in Acting, 2000). Having left her native New York City after graduating C.W. Post Summa Cum Laude to pursue her career in Los Angeles, Garayua has been busy and successful, landing roles in films such as "Fun With Dick and Jane," "Henry Poole Is Here," "Stepford Wives" and "House of D."

She's also been seen on popular television series such as "NYPD Blue" and "Six Feet Under." But Garayua's energy and drive didn't start in Hollywood. With the Post Theatre Company, she was part of the cast of Carol Churchill's Skriker, a show that won the regional Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF) and went on perform at the Kennedy Center during the KC/ACTF National Conference in 1998. She recalls the experience as "one of the most fun productions of my life."

Garayua remembers her C.W. Post years with "fond memories of the theatre department. I remember putting on a one-woman show, the first one to be done there in years, and having it be a huge success with incredible backing from the department heads, teachers, and student body. I also remember the fun of opening nights, traveling to an International Theatre Festival in Canada in 1997, and the amazing Irene Ryan competitions!" Those acting competitions were part of the KC/ ACTF, with actors chosen to compete regionally by adjudicators who came to Post and saw Garayua's talent.

"Best of all," says Garayua, "I always knew I could walk into any one of my teachers' offices, be welcomed with a smile and allowed to talk about anything! That made C.W. Post home to me."

See Garayua's hot demo reels at http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/gloriagarayua