Eve Leigh

Leigh is the daughter of musical theatre composer Mitch Leigh and artist Abby Leigh.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/pro-remain-couple-put-the-skids-under-runaway-campaign-p9b80lht3|title=Pro-Remain couple put the skids under runaway campaign|last=Karim|first=Fariha|date=24 June 2019|work=The Times|access-date=3 August 2019|language=en|issn=0140-0460}} She was born Rebecca Leigh in New York City, where she grew up.{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/theater/mitch-leigh-man-of-la-mancha-composer-dies-at-86.html|title = Mitch Leigh, Who Composed 'Man of La Mancha,' Dies at 86|last = Gates|first = Anita| work=The New York Times |date = 17 March 2014|accessdate = 25 December 2016|page = A21|url-access = limited}}{{cite news|last=Trueman|first=Matt|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/interviews/2019/eve-leigh-trick-bush-theatre|title=The Trick's Eve Leigh: 'The more you enjoy your life, the better your work is going to be'|work=The Stage|date=26 February 2019|access-date=23 June 2019}}

She studied history at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 2006.{{Cite web | url=http://www.totallyjewish.com/entertainment/features_and_reviews/?content_id=8137 | title=The Goody Pet - Because Every Pet Deserves More }}

Leigh's first production was her own adaptation of The Dybbuk, by S. Ansky.{{cite news|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/19622/the-dybbuk|title=Rev. of The Dybbuk|last=Austin|first=Jeremy|date=23 January 2008|work=The Stage|access-date=19 March 2012}} It ran at the King's Head Theatre in Islington in January and February 2008.{{Cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/events/647810/the_dybbuk.html |title=Time Out |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607062549/http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/events/647810/the_dybbuk.html |archive-date=7 June 2011 |url-status=dead }} Her production of Lisa Kron's Well transferred from the Trafalgar Studios to the Apollo Theatre.{{Cite web | url=http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/interviews/view/item101900/Sarah-Miles/ | title=The Home of London Theatre }} In December 2008, the production was nominated for Best New Comedy at the whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards.{{Cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821228143290&title=WOS+Theatregoers%27+Choice+Nominees+Announced |title=WOS Theatregoers' Choice Nominees Announced | What's on Stage News | Whatsonstage |access-date=9 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209055304/http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821228143290&title=WOS+Theatregoers%27+Choice+Nominees+Announced |archive-date=9 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}

In February 2019, Leigh's play The Trick premiered at the Bush Theatre. The Trick concerns a woman grieving for her deceased husband and uses magic metaphorically, according to Matt Trueman in The Stage as "a means of dealing with the disappearing act that is death". The Times referred to it as "a sideways look at the subject of ageing and grief that sometimes strikes the right poignant or urgent note, but also goes seriously awry".{{Cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/review-the-trick-at-bush-theatre-w12-v3x55qw0x | title=Review: The Trick at Bush Theatre, W12 | last1=Treneman | first1=Ann }} The Guardian commented that it was "a magic show with nothing up its sleeve"{{Cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/feb/26/the-trick-review-bush-theatre-london | title=The Trick review – a magic show with nothing up its sleeve | website=TheGuardian.com | date=26 February 2019 }}

In 2019, Leigh contributed a short play to Brexit Stage Left, a festival of staged readings at The Yard Theatre 'considering Britain's relationship to Europe in a post-Brexit world'.{{cite web |title=BREXIT STAGE LEFT |url=https://theyardtheatre.co.uk/theatre/events/brexit-stage-left/ |website=The Yard Theatre |access-date=23 June 2019}}

Leigh's play Midnight Movie opens at the Royal Court Theatre in November 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/midnightmovie/|title=Midnight Movie|website=Royal Court|language=en-US|access-date=3 August 2019}} Her published plays include Silent Planet (2014) and Stone Face (2016),{{Cite web|url=https://www.oberonbooks.com/leigh.html|title=Eve Leigh|website=Oberon Books|language=en|access-date=3 August 2019}} which was nominated for 3 Offies, including Best New Play.

Leigh lives in London with her husband, the theatre maker Tom Penn.

In June 2019, Leigh and her spouse Tom Penn recorded an altercation between neighbour Carrie Symonds and then Tory leadership contender Boris Johnson. Penn called the police, who attended and spoke to ‘all occupants of the address’. After officers told Penn and Leigh that ‘no offences or concerns [were] apparent’,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/22/scotland-yard-press-operation-faces-questions-over-boris-johnson-row|title=Scotland Yard press operation faces questions over Boris Johnson row|last=Murphy|first=Simon|date=22 June 2019|work=The Observer|access-date=3 August 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0029-7712}} the couple sent the audio file to The Guardian, which broke the story the following day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/22/neighbour-who-called-police-over-boris-johnson-row-goes-public|title=Neighbour who called police over Boris Johnson row goes public|website=TheGuardian.com|date=22 June 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/revealed-the-neighbours-who-taped-boris-johnson-and-carrie-symonds-s-quarrel-w2g7hn9nx|title = Revealed — the neighbours who taped Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds's quarrel}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/event/115494/well.html Time Out's 5 Star review of Well]
• [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/4059673/Review-Well-at-the-Apollo-Theatre.html The Telegraph's review of Well]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Eve}}

Category:1984 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge

Category:English theatre directors

Category:British women theatre directors

Category:American theatre directors

Category:American women theatre directors

Category:American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent

Category:American emigrants to England