From a “poppy flower” in Lyric’s 2003 production of THE WIZARD OF OZ, to the challenging role of Wendla in Lyric’s 2012 production of SPRING AWAKENING, Leah Coleman has begun a theatre career of her dreams… dreams she didn’t even know she had in the beginning!
“Before I discovered theatre, I actually grew up determined to be a pitcher for the USA Olympic softball team who would sing the National Anthem before the games,” says Leah. “At that time I found acting a bit terrifying. I was very nervous about being in a musical, but after spending a few rehearsals as a Pink Lady in GREASE, I fell in love performing and haven’t stopped since.”
Leah grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma and attended Edmond North high school and is now pursuing a Musical Theatre degree at the University of Central Oklahoma. Since she was 11-years-old, Leah has been an active student in Lyric’s Thelma Gaylord Academy as well as a child actor in many of Lyric’s main stage productions at the Civic Center Music Hall. Leah feels that her many years at the academy has shaped the performer she is today.
“I was involved with every single academy show through age 16 and spent about six days a week at Lyric’s production center taking lessons from the most incredible instructors and mentors an aspiring performer could ask for,” says Leah. “I not only learned to develop my talents, but I also learned countless life lessons and gained the self confidence that many lack as a teenager. The academy deeply impacted my life in so many ways.”
Lyric’s 2012 production of SPRING AWAKENING, will be Leah’s first professional performance as an aspiring actor on Lyric’s Plaza Theatre stage. Not only is she excited to perform her debut but she is ready to share such a story like SPRING AWAKENING.
“SPRING AWAKENING is a very passionate coming of age story, with a message for both young adults and parents alike. Every issue is just as relevant and important today as it was then,” says Leah. “I am so excited to tell this eye-opening, inspiring story to new audiences because I believe it is a story that must be told to as many people that will listen. There have been, and still are, Wendlas everywhere who deserve to have their voices heard, and I am so honored to be that voice for them.”
