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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 The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
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 The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants aw ...
. In 2001, Cherniak began teaching dance at
Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
(now Toronto Metropolitan University) and
George Brown College George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...
.


Directorial credits


Theatre

* ''Up Against the Wallpaper''
Nightwood Theatre Nightwood Theatre is Canada's oldest professional women's theatre and is based in Toronto. It was founded in 1979 by Cynthia Grant, Kim Renders, Mary Vingoe, and Maureen White and was originally a collective. Though it was not the founders' ori ...
(1989) * ''The Tell-Tale Heart'' Theatre Columbus (1995) * ''Froth'' (1996) * ''
Three Birds Alighting on a Field ''Three Birds Alighting on a Field'' is a 1991 play by Timberlake Wertenbaker Timberlake Wertenbaker is a British-based playwright, screenplay writer, and translator who has written plays for the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and ...
'' George Brown Theatre (2000) * ''Lonely Nights and Other Stories'' Theatre Columbus, co-directed with Maggie Huculak (2001) * ''Rue Alridge''
Tarragon Theatre The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country.
(2004) * ''Edward the “Crazy Man” ''
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People Young People's Theatre (YPT) is a professional theatre for youth located in Toronto, Ontario. The company produces and presents a full season of theatre and arts education programming, performing to approximately 150,000 patrons annually. Founded ...
(2008) * ''6 Essential Questions''
Factory Theatre Factory Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz, and it was run for almost 20 years by Dian English. Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would e ...
(2014) * ''Clown'' Ryerson School of Performance (2018) * ''The Ward Cabaret''
Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became ...
Theatre (2020), co-directed with
David Buchbinder David Buchbinder (born 1947) is professor of Masculinities Studies at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, and adjunct professor of English and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia. Education Buchbinder gained his ...
* ''Perpetual Archaeology'' Crow's Theatre written by and starring
Alex Bulmer Alex Bulmer is a Canadian playwright and theatre artist. Bulmer is the co-founder of the theatre companies SNIFF Inc. and Invisible Flash. She wrote the play ''Smudge'' and was a writer for the 2009 Channel 4 series ''Cast Offs''. Early life and ...
(June 2023)


Film

* ''Things Dead People Say '' short film (2020)


Acting credits


Theatre


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 Daniel Brooks (born 23 June 1958) is a Canadian theatre director, actor and playwright. He is well known in the Toronto theatre scene for his innovative productions and script-writing collaborations. Early life Brooks was born in Toronto, Ontari ...
,
Diane Flacks Diane Flacks is a Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter and playwright. Early life and education Flacks was raised in the Jewish faith. Her early education took place in Jewish parochial schools. Flacks studied drama at Leah Posluns Instit ...
, Richard Greenblatt, Leslie Lester, and Allan Merovitz * '' The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls'' ' co-written with
Jennifer Brewin Jennifer Brewin is a Canadian writer, director, and artistic director. She is known for co-creating ''The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls'' and her other work with Common Boots Theatre, formerly known as Theatre Columbus and the Caravan F ...
, Martha Ross, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and
Alisa Palmer Alisa Palmer is a Canadian theatre director and playwright. She was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre from 1993 to 2001. Palmer is currently the artistic director of the English section of the National Theatre School of Canada. Early l ...
* ''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 Alex Bulmer is a Canadian playwright and theatre artist. Bulmer is the co-founder of the theatre companies SNIFF Inc. and Invisible Flash. She wrote the play ''Smudge'' and was a writer for the 2009 Channel 4 series ''Cast Offs''. Early life and ...
, 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


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherniak, Leah Living people University of Toronto alumni Academic staff of Toronto Metropolitan University Academic staff of the National Theatre School of Canada Academic staff of George Brown College 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