Leah Cherniak
Leah Cherniak | |
---|---|
Born | August 22, 1956 |
Nationality | Canadian |
Alma mater | University of Toronto |
Notable work | The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls |
Leah Cherniak (born 1956) is a Canadian playwright, actor, and teacher. She is a co-founder of Theatre Columbus (now called Common Boots).
Early life and education
Cherniak graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in 1979. She later studied at École Jacques Lecoq, where she met Martha Ross.
Career
Cherniak co-founded Theatre Columbus with Martha Ross in 1984. Originally, the company was called The Gargoils. In 2015, Theatre Columbus changed their name to Common Boots Theatre.
Teaching
Beginning in 1985, Cherniak taught clown at the National Theatre School. In 2001, Cherniak began teaching dance at Ryerson University and George Brown College.
Directorial credits
Theatre
- Up Against the Wallpaper — Nightwood Theatre (1989)
- The Tell-Tale Heart — Theatre Columbus (1995)
- Froth (1996)
- Three Birds Alighting on a Field — George Brown Theatre (2000)
- Lonely Nights and Other Stories — Theatre Columbus, co-directed with Maggie Huculak (2001)
- Rue Alridge — Tarragon Theatre (2004)
- Edward the “Crazy Man” — Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (2008)
- 6 Essential Questions — Factory Theatre (2014)
- Clown — Ryerson School of Performance (2018)
- The Ward Cabaret — Harbourfront Centre Theatre (2020), co-directed with David Buchbinder
Film
- Things Dead People Say — short film (2020)
Acting credits
Theatre
Year | Show | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls | Jelly | ||
2015 | The Dybbuk, Or Between Two Worlds | Frayde | ||
2018 | Animal Farm | Bessie | ||
2019 | Scadding | Ensemble |
Plays
- Until We Part — co-written with Martha Ross
- The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine — co-written with Robert Morgan and Martha Ross
- Still Clowning — co-written with Martha Ross
- The Fragments — co-written with Suvendrini Lena and Trevor Schwellnus
- The Theory of Relatives — co-written with Daniel Brooks, Diane Flacks, Richard Greenblatt, Leslie Lester, and Allan Merovitz
- The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls — co-written with Jennifer Brewin, Martha Ross, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and Alisa Palmer
- More Fine Girls — co-written with Brewin, Ross, MacDonald, and Palmer, sequel to The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls
- Scadding — co-created with Jennifer Brewin, Alex Bulmer, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, John Gzowski, Maggie Huculak, Anand Rajaram, Jenny Salisbury and Stephon Smith
- The Betrayal — co-written with Oliver Dennis, Maggie Huculak, Robert Morgan, Martha Ross and Michael Simpson
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Work | Results | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards — Small Theatre | Best Production | Fertility | Won | with Martha Ross | |
1988 | Outstanding Direction | The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine | Nominated | |||
Outstanding New Play | Nominated | |||||
1989 | Outstanding Direction | Paranoia | Nominated | |||
1990 | Dr. Dapertutto | Nominated | ||||
1991 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards — Ancillary awards | Pauline McGibbon Award | N/A | Won | ||
1994 | Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award | General Theatre | The Theory of Relatives | Nominated | with Daniel Brooks, Diane Flacks, Richard Greenblatt, Leslie Lester, Allan Merovitz | |
Dora Mavor Moore Awards — Small Theatre | Outstanding New Play | Nominated | ||||
1995 | Outstanding Performance by a Female - Play | The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls | Nominated | |||
Outstanding New Play or Musical | Nominated | with Ann-Marie MacDonald, Martha Ross with Alisa Palmer, Jennifer Brewin | ||||
1996 | Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award | General Theatre | Nominated | |||
Dora Mavor Moore Awards — General Theatre | Outstanding Direction | The Diary of Anne Frank | Nominated | |||
1998 | Outstanding Direction of a Play | The Betrayal | Nominated | |||
1999 | Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award | General Theatre | Won | co-winner with Oliver Dennis, Maggie Huculak, Robert Morgan, Martha Ross and Michael Simpson | ||
2003 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards — General Theatre | Outstanding Direction of a Play | The Miracle Worker | Nominated | ||
2005 | Dora Mavor Moore Awards — Independent Theatre | Outstanding Direction of a Play | The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine | Nominated |
- Living people
- University of Toronto alumni
- Ryerson University faculty
- National Theatre School of Canada faculty
- George Brown College faculty
- L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq alumni
- 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- Canadian women dramatists and playwrights
- 1956 births
- Canadian theatre directors
- Women theatre directors
- Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
- 20th-century Canadian women writers
- 21st-century Canadian women writers