Laura Head

This tribute to Laura was written by Ollie Young, Alex Broad and Beth Woodford in remembrance of their friend and colleague.

It is with immense sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Sound Operator Laura Jane Head, on Friday 4th March 2022, aged 27. Our deepest condolences are with her family at this time.

Laura studied Professional Production Skills at GSA where she specialised in sound. After graduating, she went on to be the #4 at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. She then moved on to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as #3. She would quickly move up to #2. An initially shy individual, her confidence flourished both personally and professionally during her time on the production.

Laura’s self-effacing attitude could not mask an astounding natural talent – her meticulous attention to detail and precision were the perfect match for the complicated inner workings of Hogwarts. Whether mixing, operating QLab, running mics or facilitating a

seamless cast change – her aptitude for each task was unparalleled.

Outside of the show, Laura brought joy and light to our subterranean office (‘The Dungeon’, as she called it), whether she was sharing tales of late-night escapades across Soho, or proving she could fit into any number of oversized cardboard boxes we had lying around. Her sardonic wit kept our spirits high through every two-show day, tech rehearsal and everything in between.

That Laura’s bright and promising future in sound was cut short is a tragic loss to our industry, but more importantly, we have lost our dearest friend.

The Laura Head Internship

Victoria Bayes began the Laura Head Internship at Harry Potter after finishing Sixth Form in Bakewell where she studied Drama, Music and Physics A-Levels. Whilst at school, she developed an interest in sound design and engineering. She has designed and produced the sound for several school productions and is keen to pursue a career in this field. She is very excited to be working on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The sound team are confident that she will be a great fit in the department and will really benefit from the development opportunities that this internship offers.