Biography

Jana Gillis is a professional skit artist, comedian, and bagpiper from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Her skits have taken many forms over the years. Sometimes as short films (screened at SJIWFF, AIFF, The Nickel, HIFF, TOSketchFest & various Sci-Fi & Fantasy Conventions throughout Atlantic Canada); as plays (St. John’s Short Play Festival, Cape Breton Stage Company) as “sketches” (NL SketchFest, Is This a Bit?, Almost Baymous, The Second City Toronto Sketch Conservatory) and straight up make ‘em ups (St. John’s Improv, Extreme Improv XStreamed, Movie Night Productions). She’s also acted in longform television skits (Hudson & Rex, Son of a Critch, Astrid & Lilly Save the World, Hallmark’s Everything Christmas). Jana studied professional skitcraft and earned a red t-shirt with a chair on it from The Second City Toronto and a BFA in Theatre Acting from Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her first short film, “Must Be a Zombie Apocalypse”, produced through the SJIWFF Inaugural FRAMED West filmmaking program screened at SJIWFF, HIFF and several Sci-Fi conventions throughout Atlantic Canada. Her second short, “Up Close & Personal” premiered at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival. Her latest short comedy “Multiverse” was produced with the help of ACTRA Toronto’s YEAA Creates program and premiered at the Nickel Independent Film Festival. She likes telling strange stories in bite sized bits.