Leah Oster is a Canadian singer and actor based out of Toronto and New York City. From workshops of new musicals to the set of tv commercials, Leah loves to collaborate on new work. From fully staged productions on some of our continent’s most prestigious stages to impromptu performances in Indonesia and Spain, Leah is equally at home on any stage!
Leah has appeared in plays and musicals at regional theatres across Canada including the top three Canadian Theatre Festivals. Early in her career, Leah was a member of the company at the Shaw Festival, following that she performed for two seasons with the Charlottetown Festival. She’s also starred at the world-renowned Stratford Festival where she played Diana in All’s Well that Ends Well and Marian Paroo in The Music Man. ↑
In addition to her critically acclaimed portrayal of Marian Paroo at the Stratford Festival, Leah has made a career playing leading ladies in musicals and plays across Canada including: Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins (Western Canada Theatre and Persephone Theatre), Sonia in They’re Playing Our Song (Showboat Festival Theatre), Belle in A Christmas Carol (Theatre Orangeville), Meg Snider in Leading Ladies (Victoria Playhouse), Fiona in Brigadoon (Drayton Entertainment), Laurie in Oklahoma! (Port Hope Festival Theatre), Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (Stage West), Maria in The Sound of Music (Port Hope Festival Theatre). ↑
Her dedication to Canadian theatre can be seen in the volume of work she has done on original Canadian pieces. She has originated roles in five World Premieres: Penny in Derek Ritchel's Fair and Square (Lighthouse Festival Theatre), Nancy/Mother in Dan Needles' and Clive VanderBurgh's The Last Christmas Turkey (Theatre Orangeville), Tate in Norm Foster’s The Ladies Foursome (Upper Canada Playhouse/ Theatre Orangeville/Orillia Opera House/Bluewater Playhouse), Della in Leslie Arden’s The Gift of the Magi (Smile Theatre), and Laurie Pargeter in Dan Needles’ Fair Play (Theatre Collingwood). Other Canadian credits include: Blue Champagne (Drayton Entertainment), Aunt Laura in Emily (Talk is Free Theatre), Rebecca in Jasper Station (Capitol Theatre), Jan in I’ll Be Back Before Midnight (Lighthouse Festival Theatre), Sarah Schorr in Trying (Globe Theatre), and Lucilla and Miss. Stacey in Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown Festival). At the Charlottetown Festival she also performed in Richard Ouzounian and Marek Norman’s Dracula - a chamber musical and appeared in a new Canadian two-person play by Barbara Budd based on Ethel Wilson’s We Have to Sit Opposite. ↑
Leah’s workshop contributions to Canadian and International musicals include Moll by Leslie Arden (Talk is Free Theatre), Wanderlust by Morris Panych and Marek Norman (Stratford Festival), The Wonder of it All by Donald Harron, Norman Campbell and Elaine Campbell (Charlottetown Festival), Hannah Can Dance by Norm Foster and Steve Thomas (Theatre Aquarius) and Sousatzka by Craig Lucas, Richard Maltby and David Shire (Teatro Proscenium). ↑
In addition to Leah’s vast theatre experience, she is also an accomplished concert and cabaret performer. Her concert career started with the Windsor Symphony in a Musical Theatre Pops concert conducted by Canada’s premiere conductor Howard Cable. Since then she's gone on to lend her voice to numerous interesting projects. ↑
As a member of the company at the Shaw Festival Leah was involved in several concert and cabaret performances. At the Festival’s Royal George Theatre she was a soloist at a sold out concert to benefit Amnesty International. While at Shaw, she performed in the seldom-produced musical Archie and Mehitabel which was presented live in concert and later broadcast as a radio play on CBC radio. She co-created and performed in a Shaw Festival Summer Brunch Concert. She won rave reviews from Toronto Star’s Richard Ouzounian for her contributions to the Shaw Festival’s tribute to Harold Arlen entitled, Over the Rainbow which was performed at the Royal George Theatre and also at the inaugural Summer Concert Series at Jackson-Triggs Winery. ↑
While at the Charlottetown Festival for two seasons, Leah performed each year in the annual Maud Whitmore Concert at the Confederation Centre. During her time in Charlottetown, she performed weekly in the Festival’s summer cabaret series, Saturday Night at the Mack. ↑
The Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program provided training that culminated in a production of As You Like It in which Leah played Amiens, a role which required her to accompany herself on the guitar and called for more singing than any leading lady she’s ever played! The program also showcased the talents of its participants in a company cabaret that included excerpts from Brecht and Weill’s The Three Penny Opera. ↑
As part of The Pocket Company, a six-piece original pop band fronted by Jason Chesworth, Leah was featured on the debut album and in the accompanying documentary film. The band’s success includes performing at North By Northeast and the documentary about the band was an official selection at the Calgary International Film Festival. ↑
In the fall of 2016, Leah was invited by the Banff Centre of the Arts to attend a residency program to create her own cabaret. Using inspiration from her career and world travels she created a 90 minute solo show called The Road Less Travelled which she later performed for a sold out audience at 120 Diner in Toronto. Following that show, she was invited to be the featured performer in Bobby Hsu’s popular cabaret series OB-Sessions, a 90 minute solo cabaret highlighting little-known gems from the musical theatre canon. During her time in New York City she’s performed in cabaret performances at Cornelia Street Cafe and Feinstein's 54 Below. ↑
She has sung the Canadian and American national anthems for the Toronto Maple Leafs as well as for the Toronto Blue Jays, including sold out baseball games at the Rogers Centre (seating capacity 55 000). ↑
As a writer, Leah has co-written several songs, authored a children’s book, and is currently in the process of writing a play and a musical. ↑
Leah holds an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre from the University of Windsor. Her training also includes the Slaight Family Academy at the Shaw Festival and The Citadel Theatre/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program. ↑