About Leah Martin
Leah Martin was born and raised in Central Florida, and she traded the sunshine for some colder winds with her move to Chicago upon finishing high school. Leah attended Northwestern University, and she received her B.A. in Communication, graduating a quarter early in March 2012, with a Major in Theatre and a Double Minor in the Business Institutions Program and Dance.
As a university student, Leah was vice president of New Movement Project, managing director of Spectrum Theatre Company (and a producer of one of their mainstage shows, "Korczak's Children"), a member of Movement Dance and Step Team, a work-study student at Foster Dance Studios, and director of Northwestern’s first-ever Dance Minor Concert.
Leah's Start in Social Media Marketing...
During the same time she was attending Northwestern, Leah was a performing arts administrative intern with Audience Architects (SeeChicagoDance) beginning in March 2010, and this marked her start in specializing and working in social media marketing. Leah spearheaded all marketing for a new project launched by Jeff Hancock called The NU Group. Following this, Leah was hired for projects with Audience Architects and Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Leah has worked successfully with a number of businesses and organizations on two main themes, how to create an effective social media presence, and how to keep doing it. When Leah was hired to work with Chicago's prestigious Audience Architects on a project, it was awarded the Grand Prize in the City of Chicago's Small Business Social Media Contest.
Since then, Leah has worked as a social media marketing professional for Northwestern University along with many of the Chicago area's most respected and energetic Arts organizations. Most recently, Leah has become the founder of her new company, Fanfire Social Marketing, consulting individuals and organizations nationally (and sometimes internationally).
Leah's Performing Arts Experience...
Leah has always been drawn to theatre, attending touring Broadway shows at a young age with her family. Ever since participating one summer in Orlando Theatre Project's Summer Institute where she performed in her first original play, she has been hooked and continued to follow the bite of the theatre bug into college, majoring in theatre at Northwestern University.
During Leah's sophomore year at Northwestern, she performed in a piece choreographed by Billy Siegenfeld called god of dirt which was taken to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the annual American College Dance Festival; this experience marked Leah's realization that, in addition to theatre, she wanted to dive deeper into the dance world.
Leah worked on and performed in a range of shows at Northwestern, and as a cast member of Danceworks, she had the opportunity of performing the choreography of Billy Siegenfeld, Molly Shanahan, Kristina Saldarelli, and Amanda Exley Lower. Following her junior year Danceworks performance in Same Old Shaggy Dress (choreographed by Kristina Saldarelli), Leah was invited to be a guest performer in Jump Rhythm® Jazz Project's concert that summer.
In addition to the artists she worked with in Danceworks, while in school, Leah had the opportunity of studying with professional artists including Dan Cantor, David Catlin, Susan Lee, Brandi Coleman, Stephanie Paul, Annie Beserra, Linda Gates, and Jeff Hancock, among many others. Towards the end of Leah's time at Northwestern, Leah worked closely with her friend Britt Banaszynski, and she was the creative collaborator, media director and performer in the seventeen-month-long process for their new work entitled "Roots of Earth" which performed in a series of three iterations.
Following Leah's graduation from Northwestern, Leah became a performer with Jump Rhythm® Jazz Project in April 2012, along with being a performer with companies including Duende Dance Theater, Valentin Projects, and other professional artists/organizations. Additionally, Leah has taken tap class with Mark Yonally (artistic director of Chicago Tap Theatre), and improv classes at iO Chicago with Tara DeFrancisco, Susan Messing, Jason Shots, and Jet Eveleth. Leah also has taken Chicago Physical Theater classes with Dean Evans, The School for Theatre Creators Intensives (Red Nose Lab/Clowning) with Paola Coletto, Presence and Ensemble Workshop (part of the Physical Theatre Festival at Links Hall) with John Flax (Theater Grottesco), and Chicago Improv Festival Productions' Storybox Workshops with Jonathan Pitts.
In May 2014, Leah attended the first year of the three-day Improv Retreat, taking classes with Michael Tatar, Matt Higbee, Deanna Moffitt, and Rance Rizzutto. She has been on multiple independent improv teams, including a more physical-theatre improv team with Ashley Stevenson, called Fearless Pizzazz, a dance improv team called #Unchoreographed, directed by Neil Figuracion, and an improvisational story-telling company called Storybox Unscripted in Theatre. In February 2014, Leah co-created a multi-disciplinary company with Christy Stallknecht, called CataCLySM Collaborations, which premiered their first original work, "Quit While You're Ahead" at Gorilla Tango Theater on June 20 & 21, 2014, and she has performed (with her Muppet-style hand puppet) with Amazing Sammo Productions, which premiered their second work October 2014 at Gorilla Tango Theatre, and the third in the summer of 2015.
Leah is currently working on projects that include music recording (band name: Leahbops), a puppet webseries, performances featuring Lydia (her Muppet-style puppet character), and a second show with CataCLySM...check back soon for updates on these projects!
As a university student, Leah was vice president of New Movement Project, managing director of Spectrum Theatre Company (and a producer of one of their mainstage shows, "Korczak's Children"), a member of Movement Dance and Step Team, a work-study student at Foster Dance Studios, and director of Northwestern’s first-ever Dance Minor Concert.
Leah's Start in Social Media Marketing...
During the same time she was attending Northwestern, Leah was a performing arts administrative intern with Audience Architects (SeeChicagoDance) beginning in March 2010, and this marked her start in specializing and working in social media marketing. Leah spearheaded all marketing for a new project launched by Jeff Hancock called The NU Group. Following this, Leah was hired for projects with Audience Architects and Chicago Human Rhythm Project. Leah has worked successfully with a number of businesses and organizations on two main themes, how to create an effective social media presence, and how to keep doing it. When Leah was hired to work with Chicago's prestigious Audience Architects on a project, it was awarded the Grand Prize in the City of Chicago's Small Business Social Media Contest.
Since then, Leah has worked as a social media marketing professional for Northwestern University along with many of the Chicago area's most respected and energetic Arts organizations. Most recently, Leah has become the founder of her new company, Fanfire Social Marketing, consulting individuals and organizations nationally (and sometimes internationally).
Leah's Performing Arts Experience...
Leah has always been drawn to theatre, attending touring Broadway shows at a young age with her family. Ever since participating one summer in Orlando Theatre Project's Summer Institute where she performed in her first original play, she has been hooked and continued to follow the bite of the theatre bug into college, majoring in theatre at Northwestern University.
During Leah's sophomore year at Northwestern, she performed in a piece choreographed by Billy Siegenfeld called god of dirt which was taken to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the annual American College Dance Festival; this experience marked Leah's realization that, in addition to theatre, she wanted to dive deeper into the dance world.
Leah worked on and performed in a range of shows at Northwestern, and as a cast member of Danceworks, she had the opportunity of performing the choreography of Billy Siegenfeld, Molly Shanahan, Kristina Saldarelli, and Amanda Exley Lower. Following her junior year Danceworks performance in Same Old Shaggy Dress (choreographed by Kristina Saldarelli), Leah was invited to be a guest performer in Jump Rhythm® Jazz Project's concert that summer.
In addition to the artists she worked with in Danceworks, while in school, Leah had the opportunity of studying with professional artists including Dan Cantor, David Catlin, Susan Lee, Brandi Coleman, Stephanie Paul, Annie Beserra, Linda Gates, and Jeff Hancock, among many others. Towards the end of Leah's time at Northwestern, Leah worked closely with her friend Britt Banaszynski, and she was the creative collaborator, media director and performer in the seventeen-month-long process for their new work entitled "Roots of Earth" which performed in a series of three iterations.
Following Leah's graduation from Northwestern, Leah became a performer with Jump Rhythm® Jazz Project in April 2012, along with being a performer with companies including Duende Dance Theater, Valentin Projects, and other professional artists/organizations. Additionally, Leah has taken tap class with Mark Yonally (artistic director of Chicago Tap Theatre), and improv classes at iO Chicago with Tara DeFrancisco, Susan Messing, Jason Shots, and Jet Eveleth. Leah also has taken Chicago Physical Theater classes with Dean Evans, The School for Theatre Creators Intensives (Red Nose Lab/Clowning) with Paola Coletto, Presence and Ensemble Workshop (part of the Physical Theatre Festival at Links Hall) with John Flax (Theater Grottesco), and Chicago Improv Festival Productions' Storybox Workshops with Jonathan Pitts.
In May 2014, Leah attended the first year of the three-day Improv Retreat, taking classes with Michael Tatar, Matt Higbee, Deanna Moffitt, and Rance Rizzutto. She has been on multiple independent improv teams, including a more physical-theatre improv team with Ashley Stevenson, called Fearless Pizzazz, a dance improv team called #Unchoreographed, directed by Neil Figuracion, and an improvisational story-telling company called Storybox Unscripted in Theatre. In February 2014, Leah co-created a multi-disciplinary company with Christy Stallknecht, called CataCLySM Collaborations, which premiered their first original work, "Quit While You're Ahead" at Gorilla Tango Theater on June 20 & 21, 2014, and she has performed (with her Muppet-style hand puppet) with Amazing Sammo Productions, which premiered their second work October 2014 at Gorilla Tango Theatre, and the third in the summer of 2015.
Leah is currently working on projects that include music recording (band name: Leahbops), a puppet webseries, performances featuring Lydia (her Muppet-style puppet character), and a second show with CataCLySM...check back soon for updates on these projects!