The music video of Leenya's newest song, "Ghost Light", was featured on Live Design Online.
Leenya RideoutLeenya portrays the role of Leona Silvia in Mystic Pizza at Ivoryton Playhouse.
Leenya plays the evil Madame Laurent in Casey Rogerson's upcoming comedy horror film, "Terrior". American Songsmith, Leenya's newest play with music, has had readings at Mile Square Theatre, the Cell in NYC, and Ivoryton Playhouse. Leenya accepted a Distinguised Alumni Award from the University of Colorado College of Music on May 7th in 2021. Her wide range of disciplines as well as her unique and sometimes offbeat take on the human condition have enabled her to reach audiences in plays, musicals, films, and concert stages in New York City and around the world. She has worked with such directors as John Doyle, Marianne Elliott, Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall. She has premiered roles in new plays and musicals as well as collaborated in Tony award winning revivals such as the 1998 Revival of Cabaret, the 2006 Actor Musician production of Company, and Warhorse at Lincoln Center. In 2016, she was in of the first all female cast in the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. From Guenevere to Aldonza to the Witch in Into the Woods as well as musicals celebrating folk heroes such as Woody Guthrie & Johnny Cash, she loves creating characters and telling stories. Leenya’s songwriting blends folk, rock and country with a Celtic edge and her original solo play with music entitled Wild Abandon premiered off Broadway in 2018. She stars in the new Romantic Comedy Film, “Love, Repeat”. She has taught voice at NYU and has worked as a teaching artist for students of all ages. Always a native of the Rocky Mountains, she now resides in Manhattan with her husband, actor Ted Koch. Most recently, Leenya played Linda Brandywine, the Mother of a wayward graduate in CBS's FBI. She helped reinvision the Broadway musical Ring of Fire with director Marcia Milgrom Dodge at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. As music director and actor/musician in an incredible cast of 5, Leenya & Marcia along with and incredible design team brought the musical into challenges we face today. This last summer, Leenya revived her solo play, Wild Abandon, in the concert series Sounds of the City. She performed a new concert entitled Showmance with her husband Ted Koch at Mohonk Mountain House. Leenya enjoys travelling to the valley of her birth to work for Alpine Theater Project in Queens of Country and Yuletide concerts. In 2021, Leenya premiered the two hander rock musical All the Rage by Larry Kirwan and directed by Kira Simring in a reading at the Cell. She is featured in Shakespeare's Greatest Monologues on Audiobook and will perform at 54 Below on March 22nd for Sondheim Unplugged. In 2021, she returned to the live stage in the one woman show Wild Horses by Allison Gregory at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, directed by Courtney Sale. In August of 2021, she performed in a concert with Hugh Panaro at the Stonington Opera House. In June of 2021, she portrayed the troubled Tammy in a concert reading of Music City featuring the Nashville hits of JT Harding at the Cutting Room. Leenya was seen as Dr. Esther Pazargadi in the episode "Bubble Wrap" of Law & Order SVU. PlaybillVault.com Leenya co-starred with Chris Jackson in Season 5 of Bull on CBS. Leenya stars in the new Holiday Romantic Comedy Love, Repeat by Bill Connington and directed by Shelagh Carter, released internationally, now availabe on Amazon Prime, VOD & DVD. In February of 2020, Leenya portrayed the role of Rachel in the new musical Shanghai Sonatas directed by Chongren Fan. She starred as the Witch in Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's first musical, Into the Woods directed by Jenn Thompson. Leenya premiered the role of Hope in John Doyle's new musical August Rush based on the movie opening at the Paramount Theatre May 3rd, 2019. The world premiere of her Solo Show entitled Wild Abandon ran at Irish Repertory Theatre September 19th, 2018. Leenya starred in the world premiere of Before We're Gone by Jerry Small at 13th Street Repertory Theater July 5th. Leenya Rideout has appeared on Broadway in War Horse, Cyrano de Bergerac with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner, John Doyle's Company as Jenny, and the 1998 revival of Cabaret (original cast). Off-Broadway credits include Before We're Gone at 13th Street Rep, Fire and Air and As You Like It at Classic Stage, The Taming of the Shrew in Shakespeare in the Park, The Eternal Anniversary at the 59 E. 59th St.-Summer Shorts Festival, Yiddle with a Fiddle at the American Jewish Theatre, The Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show at the Melting Pot Theatre Company, and Cowgirls at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Leenya played the role of Phoebe in As You Like it at Classic Stage directed by John Doyle, and the role of Martha in Polly Stenham's That Face at Baltimore Center Stage, premiering their brand new Third Space in the round. She has performed at Alpine Theater Project in their Christmas concert. Before that, she played Guenevere in the legendary Camelot with Kevin McGuire as Arthur and Oliver R. Thornton as Lancelot at Capital Repertory Theater after revisiting the role of Aldonza in Milwaukee Repertory's production of Man of La Mancha costarring Nathaniel Stampley and directed by Artistic Director, Mark Clements. She originated the role of Katherine in Christy Hall and Scott Alan's new play with music, Home at the Adirondack Theatre Festival. Leenya played the Widow in the historic first all female cast of Taming of the Shrew in Shakespeare in the Park directed by Phyllida Lloyd. She was also the onstage music director and understudied Judy Gold in the role of Gremio. Leenya performed the role of Jo Carlson in the 20th Anniversary production of Cowgirls at the Pioneer Theatre Company directed by Artistic Director Karen Azenburg. She played the role of Chelsea Thayer in On Golden Pond directed by Eric Woodall at Casa Manana Theater & reprised the role of Aldonza/Dulcinea in Cape Fear Regional Theater's production of Man of La Mancha in the 400th Anniversary of the classic novel and 50th Anniversary of the Broadway musical directed by Artistic Director Tom Quaintance. She worked with Artistic Director Laura Kepley at Cleveland Playhouse in the premiere of Eric Coble's new play, Fairfield. She portrayed Martha in The Secret Garden at Capital Repertory Theatre after performing for the first time at Cleveland Playhouse and then Milwaukee Rep as a part of the cast of Woody Sez starring David Lutken. She played the part of Jeanette in Neil Simon's The Last of the Red Hot Lovers at the Hangar Theatre, in a musical that she cowrote entitled Holidays with the Chalks at the Alliance Theatre (nominated for two 2012 Atlanta Theater Fan Awards), Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park directed by John Doyle, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha at ACCC, Cardenio at ART, Summer of 42 at Mill Mountain Theater, The Canterbury Tales at the Guthrie Theater, Guys and Dolls at North Carolina Theatre, Avenue X at Cincinnati Playhouse & Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Honky Tonk Highway at The Florida Studio Theatre, and Carousel at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. Leenya toured the U.S., Canada, and Asia as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Leenya's original musical, Wild Abandon, featuring her original songs and the artwork of her mother, Lynn Rideout, was featured in the Avant Ground New Works Festival at the Cleveland Playhouse in 2015. Leenya can be seen in such films as Love, Repeat, Mona Lisa Smile, Loser, Bittersweet, and The Singing Biologist. Her Television credits include Bull on CBS, the PBS Great Performance Broadcasts of Company, Cyrano de Bergerac, and My Favorite Broadway (with Anna Kendrick), USA Network's Nashville Star, and the Jerry Lewis Telethon (as The Chalks). Leenya's concert work includes Broadway at the Stonington Opera House, Music City at the Cutting Room, Sondheim Unplugged and Two Legit to Quit at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Unsung Menken at 54 Below, The Induction of Tennessee Williams into the St. John the Divine Poet's Corner with Olympia Dukakis and Vanessa Redgrave, Wall to Wall Harlem Resonance and Wall to Wall Broadway with Alex and Paul Gemignani at Symphony Space, Nothing Like a Dame 2007 (performer and arranger), Gypsy of the Year 2002 (performer, composer, and arranger) and Bringing Broadway Back Home with the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra with her brother, tenor Vale Rideout. In 2010, she was a featured reader in Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts. She is a two time medal winner and won the Johnny Mercer Award in the Savannah Music Festival's American Traditions Vocal Competition. Leenya is on the list of artists for the Broadway Pops Concert circuit. Writing urban folk with a Celtic edge, Leenya is a songwriter who has performed her original songs and arrangements of her favorite cover songs all across the country and in venues all over New York city including The Canal Room (opening for Unforgettable Fire), The Bitter End, 54 Below, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, The Cutting Room, The Underground Lounge, The Rodeo Bar, The Back Fence, The Path Cafe, Pikestock at the Milford Theater Festival, and the Church of the Heavenly Rest Cafe. The cast album of her solo play with music entitled Wild Abandon is now available on Amazon and other streaming platforms. Her debut solo album of 14 original songs is entitled "Phoenix". As a fiddle player and vocalist/arranger, she has performed in bands such as The Chalks, The RoSSies, Finn's Fury, Gael Force, and the Neil Scott Johnson Band. Now a Manhattan resident, where she lives with her husband, actor Ted Koch, she is a native of the Rocky Mountains where she grew up playing folk, country, and bluegrass. She is an honor graduate of the University of Colorado School of Music with a voice performance major and a violin performance minor. She taught for two years as an adjunct Professor of Voice at New York University. |
ACTOR'S ACCESS
performing "I Read" from Sondheim's iconic "Passion" at 54 Below with Sondheim UnpluggedHeadshot #1
Photo by Jimmy Furino
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Amanda Taraska Photography
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Playbill BioBROADWAY: Baby Joey and Matron Calahan (US Rose & Paulette) in War Horse; Cyrano de Bergerac; Jenny in Company; Texas & Lulu in Cabaret (1998 Revival).
OFF-BROADWAY: Wild Abandon (Irish Repertory Theatre, original play with music), Kate Maguire in Before We're Gone (13th Street Repertory Theater) Misia Sert in Fire and Air (Classic Stage), Phoebe in As You Like it (Classic Stage and Bay Street Theater);Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare in the Park); The Eternal Anniversary (59 E. 59th St.); Yiddle in Yiddle with a Fiddle (American Jewish Theater); Karin in The Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show (Melting Pot Theatre); Cowgirls (Minetta Lane). REGIONAL: June Carter Cash in Ring of Fire (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Ivoryton Playhouse & DeutchesTheater, Munich); Almost Heaven (Riverside Theatre); Wild Horses (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); The Witch in Into the Woods (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival); Hope in the premiere of August Rush (Paramount Theatre); Phoebe in As You Like It (Bay Street Theater); Ballad of Little Jo (Two River Theater); Martha in That Face (Baltimore Center Stage); Aldonza in Man of La Mancha (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Guenevere in Camelot (Capital Repertory Theater); Katherine in Home (Adirondack Theater Festival); Jo in Cowgirls (Pioneer Theatre Company); Chelsea in On Golden Pond, (Casa Manana); Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha, (CFRT); Molly in Fairfield (Cleveland Playhouse); Martha in The Secret Garden, Capital Repertory Theater, Clara & Union Maid in Woody Sez (Westport Country Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Theater J, and Milwaukee Rep); Jeannette Fisher in The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Miss Cratchitt & Electra in Gypsy (Hangar Theatre); Belva Chalk in Holidays with the Chalks (Alliance Theatre); Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of LaMancha (ACCC); Susana in Cardenio (ART); Cook in Canterbury Tales (Guthrie); Barbara in Avenue X (Cincinnati Playhouse & Merrimack Rep); Dorothy in Summer of '42 (Mill Mountain Theater); Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (North Carolina Theater). FILM:Barbara in Love, Repeat; Loser; Mona Lisa Smile; Bittersweet. TV: Law & Order SVU, Bull, CBS; Nashville Star, USA; Great Performances, PBS. INTERNATIONAL TOUR: Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. FILM: Mona Lisa Smile, Loser. TV: Company (PBS); Cyrano de Bergerac (PBS); My Favorite Broadway(PBS); Nashville Star (USA). CONCERT: Queens of Country (Alpine Theater Project) Pride Concert (Stonington Opera House), Yuletide (Alpine Theater Project); Wall to Wall Broadway (Symphony Space); Nothing Like a Dame, 2007; Bringing Broadway Back Home (Fort Collins Symphony). Love to Ted. | ||||||
