Steve Leigh

Steve is an accomplished actor, musical director and choreographer having trained at the Central School of Screech and Trauma! This is where he cut his professional musicianship baton, writing the score for the World Premiere of Tony Harrison's 'Common Chorus' which was entered for the highly acclaimed National Student Drama Festival in 1994. However, before this, his first job as a musical director job was for the Really Youthful Theatre Company when he was fifteen, MD'ing 'Little Shop of Horrors'. He stayed with the company, based in Twickenham (squeezed in between the Rugby Ground and Knellor Hall, where all the army musicians train and, who subsequently honed their craft in various shows Steve MD'd, for two quid and a couple of pints of beer)... for several more shows. These included 'Chicago', for which he won the Richmond Arts Award for Best Musical Director, as well as 'Wind in the Willows' and 'Joseph and the Unnecessarily-Long-Winded-Title-for-a-Musical'! Steve has also MD'd for other Theatre Companies including 'Shoestring' and 'TheatreBox' where he MD'd 'The Wiz', 'Bugsy Malone' and 'Into the Woods'.

Steve has also appeared in numerous plays and musicals ranging from Jesus in 'Jesus Christ Superstar', Jesus in 'Godspell' and God's (and the cast's) choreographer in 'Children of Eden'. Roles he has especially enjoyed perfoming include Trevor in Alan Ayckbourne's 'Bedroom Farce' to playing 'Paul in 'Company' at the Mermaid Theatre, London. He has also worked as a Cabaret Performer on board the MV Lion Queen touring Poland and Sweden. Although his first love is performing, he has recently turned to direction, choreography and... even more musical direction. He is currently (and concurrently) musically directing 'Pennywhistle Paradise' for the Lytton Youth Section, 'Annie Get Your Gun (The New Broadway Version) for Harrow Light Opera Company and will subsequently be MD'ing 'Oliver!' and 'Salad Days' later this year.

Having worked as the former Course Co-ordinator on the Musical Theatre Course at the Arts Educational School, Tring, Steve has now spread his wings to become the Head of Drama at St George's School, Harpenden, where he has produced, directed and choreographed Willy Russells 'Our Day Out' and Bernstein/Sondheim's 'West Side Story'. Next Year he will be directing 'Midsummer Night's Dream' and directing/choreographing one of his favourite musicals, 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood'. (Between meals)! On occasion he has been known to sleep.