LEIGH STRIMBECK
AEA
SAG/AFTRA
Actor
Film:
- Off The Rails, Lifetime Movies, 2017
- Key Transitions, Hope, Britida Productions
- Little Bi Peep, Kathy, Rebel Productions
- Fighting for Freedom, Florence Dobbe, Loken Mann Productions
- UnCivil Liberties, Sharon Swift, NY Upstate Independent
- Taking Woodstock, Mother in Crowd Scene
- Voices from East Africa, Documentary about BTE
- NYU Graduate student films
Television:
- SEFCU commercial, “Membership” produced by Working Pictures
- Northeast Health, “Alzheimer’s 2009”, “Retirement Living 2009” produced by Working Pictures
Industrials:
- Rewarding Student Commitment, 2 Segments, “Mom”
- Cultural Competence, Rehabilitation and Research Institute, produced by Working Pictures
- Transfer of Knowledge, Rehabilitation and Research Institute, produced by Working Pictures
Voices:
- Olana Historic Site walking tour voice guide
- First NY Federal Credit Union; Brunswick Apartments; NBT Bank; Price Chopper – “Fuel Advantage”; all produced by Cotton Hill
- Business Continuity, weather person, Citigroup voiceover
- Numerous radio spots for Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble
Recent Stage:
- Kate Keller ALL MY SONS Voice Theatre Woodstock
- Beth TRIBES Theatre Institute at Sage
- Isabelle Arc MOTHER OF THE MAID Shakespeare & Company (understudy to Tina Packer, went on 5 times)
- Lady MacDuff MACBETH Saratoga Shakespeare Company
- Martha WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? TIS*
- Diana Vreeland FULL GALLOP, Theatre Voices
- Clare KINGDOM OF THE SHORE, Capital Repertory Theatre
- Joan MELANCHOLY PLAY Sarah Ruhl, WAM Theatre
In twenty years as a member/associate Member of *The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE), Leigh played dozens of roles. Here are the highlights…
- Olive/Head of Chorus WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE Deborah Brevoort
- Ensemble/co-creator LETTERS TO THE EDITOR the Ensemble
- Charlotte Wallace BEYOND THERAPY Christopher Durang
- Petruchio THE TAMING OF THE SHREW William Shakespeare
- Rosa TRUMPETS AND RASBERRIES Dario Fo
- Ensemble WOMEN OF BACCHUS Euripides
- Amanda THE GLASS MENAGERIE Tennessee Williams
- Grusha CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE Bertold Brecht
- Martha WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? Edward Albee
- Mother THE GUARDSMAN Ferenc Molnar
- Louka ARMS AND THE MAN George Bernard Shaw
Other theater roles include:
- Dr. Karen Silver – REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY, Ludlam – TNT, Scranton, Pa.
- Thor God of Thunder – YGGSDRASIL – Vasteno Teatern, Sweden
- Shahash – YAAKOBI AND LEIDENTHAL – The Northeast Theatre, Scranton, Pa.
- Muffet Di Nicola – UNCOMMON WOMEN AND OTHERS, Wasserstein – Actors & Directors Lab, NYC
- Lulu Bett – MISS LULU BETT – West Third Street Theater, NYC
Director
- CABARET, Theatre Institute at Sage (TIS)
- WAIT UNTIL DARK, TIS
- SPRING AWAKENING, TIS
- THE TROJAN WOMEN (also adaptor) TIS and accepted into The Phoenix Theatre Ensemble’s First Stories Project and the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers
- HELL & HIGHWATER (Jamuna Yvette Sirker) Russell Sage College
- I’M NOT A FEMINIST, BUT….(Young women & Feminism, devised) Russell Sage College
- MIRROR MIRROR (Women & Body Image, devised) Russell Sage College
- MISS JULIE Bucknell University Senior Thesis Project 2006
- HEAVY METTLE (Richard Hoehler) Toured 2002-3
- WORKING CLASS (Richard Hoehler) Midtown Manhattan Theater Fest.
- DEATH OF A SALESMAN (Arthur Miller), BTE*
- HIPPOLYTUS (Euripides, also adapted) SUNY Albany, N.Y.
- NOISES OFF, SUNY Albany, N.Y.
- PRIVATE EYES (Steven Dietz) Actor’s Collaborative, Albany, N.Y.
- TEN BY TEN, 1999 (Original Plays) Stageworks, Hudson, N.Y.
- THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP (Charles Ludlam) Stageworks, Hudson, N.Y.
- THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP (Charles Ludlam) The Northeast Theatre, Scranton, Pa.
- THIS HOUSE BUILDED (also coauthor, with Elizabeth Markowitz) a community-commissioned project for Waverly, Pa.
- HERE BE DRAGONS (adapted with Paul Outlaw) Chaos & Order Theatre Co., Scranton, Pa.
- ON THE VERGE (Eric Overmeyer) Comotion Theatre, Lancaster, Pa.
- CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (Mark Medoff) Allegheny Highlands Regional Theatre,
- THE BALTIMORE WALTZ (Paula Vogel), BTE, Bloomsburg, Pa.
- DAYTRIPS (Jo Carson), BTE
- VOICE OF THE PRAIRIE, (for a USIA tour to Southeastern Africa) BTE
- SEA MARKS (Gardner McKay), BTE
- FOOLS RUSH IN (Rand Whipple, adapted from The King Stag), BTE
- THE NEST (Franz Kroetz), BTE
- BERWICK, AMERICA (also coauthor, with Jerry Stropnicky) BTE and the town of Berwick, Pa.
Teacher:
- Artist in Residence, Russell Sage College, Troy, NY – 2009-18 Theatre History, Acting I, II, Voice & Text; Professor in the “Women Owning Responsibility for Learning & Doing” program
Coach, New York State Defender’s Association Basic Trial Skills Program, 2003-2018
Coordinator, Next Gen Immersions Middle School writers program, 2015 – present - Adjunct Professor, SUNY Albany, Acting I, II, III, IV; 1999-2009
- Teaching Artist, Capitol Region Center for Arts in Education, Albany, N.Y. 1997-2008
- Certified Vinyasa Flow Yoga Instructor
- Adjunct Professor, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pa
- Artist in Education, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
- Workshop leader and adjudicator, National Theatre Organization of Zimbabwe
- Workshop leader, United States Information Agency – Arts America African Tour with BTE
- Visiting Professor, Juneau University, Juneau, Alaska (through Perseverance Theatre Co.)
- Adult, teen, and children’s theater courses, BTE
- Acting teacher, ABF School, Stockholm, Sweden
- Sense memory and acting, Master Olofs Garden, Stockholm, Sweden
- Sense memory instructor, Actors and Directors Lab, New York City
Administrator:
- Artistic Director, Theatre Institute at Sage, 2015- 2018
- Co-founder WAM Theatre, Artistic Advisor & Board Member, WAM 2010-13
- Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Ensemble Director, 1990-93: position included casting; budgeting; scheduling; chairing meetings
and retreats; representation of the theater to the Board of Directors, staff, and community; grant writing and season selection in conjunction with the ensemble. Spearheaded the creation of Team/works – BTE’s program to teach communication and consensus building to businesses through workshops. Associate Ensemble Director, 1988-90.
Panels & Boards:
- Planned Parenthood Board Member, Northeastern PA, 1995-96
- National Endowment for the Arts: Panel Member, 1991-94; Site reporter, 1991-95
- Pennsylvania Statewide Arts Advisory Council: Member, 1991-93
- Theatre Communications Group: Observership Award, 1988
Education:
- B.F.A. New York University
- Dance/Drama Major Bennington College
- Trained in the Lincoln Center method of Aesthetic Education to teach Arts in Education
- Actors Center Teacher Development Program participant, June 2007
- Suzuki Intensive, Toga Mura, Japan
- Dance/Theater/Dance Intensive, with Anne Bogart (prior to SITI)
- Certified Vinyasa Flow Yoga Instructor