Prior to entering journalism, for the last 20 years, I’ve also been a playwright, screenwriter, and a scriptwriter for interactive story games.
My stories take my passion for writing and combine it with my love for stories that involve undeniable humanity, small moments that ask big questions, civil rights, exploration, history, science, environment, family and the meaning of home, in hopes of creating stories that provide hope, catharsis, possibility and empowerment in order to find solutions to what we all want: a better world.
My plays have been workshopped, produced, developed, and commissioned locally in New York, and throughout the rest of the country. I’m also a recipient of the Alan Minieri Memorial Playwriting Award, two Cherry Lane Mentor nominations, a finalist for the O'Neill Conference, a semi-finalist for the P73 Fellowship, Juilliard, and the Princess Grace Award. As a screenwriter, she has been one of the 25 finalists for the Fox Comedy Pilot Competition at the NYTV festival, and a quarter-finalist for the Academy Award's Nicholl Fellowship.
I received my MFA from Columbia University, where I was a Liberace Scholar, Howard Stein Fellow, and Shubert Fellow.
PLAYS
The Blue Balloon (full-length)
In a world where you turn to whispers when you die, the famous, despised and dying Alexander Bloom realizes he must say something brilliant in order to appease the public and leave a lasting legacy. After several futile attempts to figure out the right words, he serendipitously meets a nervous young man called The Moth, who claims his favorite writer has invented a device that dilates time. Desperate, Alexander goes on the journey in hopes that he can buy a few more moments to figure everything out. Instead, he finds out what he’s been looking for has been inside him all along.
Semi-finalist P73 Fellowship, Semi-finalist for O'Neill Conference
Workshopped at NYTW via Columbia's Play Feast
The Armchair Travelers (full-length)
A New York businessman on the brink of failure, travels home with his estranged brother to find out what his recently deceased mother's estate is worth, only to uncover a wild array of secrets instead.
Semi-finalist for The Princess Grace Award
Short version workshopped at The Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY, and commissioned by The Source Theatre in Washington DC.
The Delphinium Mansion (ten-minute)
Two men on the way to pay their final respects to a friend find out that the deceased had a few more surprises left up his dead sleeves.
Selection for the 2010 Samuel French OOB Festival, NY, NY
Part of American Globe Theatre's Fifteen Minute Plays. NY, NY
Winner of Audience Choice, and Alan Minieri Memorial Playwriting Award
Acme Theatre New Works Festival, 2010 Maynard, MA
Ides of March New Works Festival 2010 New York, NY
For A Moment in the Darkness, We Wait (short)
It’s the 1940s. An uptight old man and a cocky teenage boy come to a notorious part of Central Park to find ways to feel less alone.
Theatre 3’s 21st annual One Act Play Festival, Port Jefferson 2019
Reviews:
“For A Moment In The Darkness, We Wait by Libby Leonard immediately follows, and lacks any of the jovial or playful moments we discerned in its predecessor… This poignant commentary on how we manipulate people in order to protect ourselves, illuminates the myriad of ways deflection and deception can be a double edged sword- one that wards off predators, but draws our own blood in the process.” The Theatre Guide
“While the six presentations understandably vary greatly in style, pace, and message, two of the productions stood out for this critic … and they are worthy of highest accolades for both writing and acting. Significantly, one (For a Moment in the Darkness We Wait) is a heartbreaking treatment of loneliness as experienced by two men, strangers unknown to one another, and separated by age, background, and status. They show us in piercing detail the universality of man’s need for affection and understanding.” Smithtown Matters
TV
The Still Life (Pilot-Comedy)
After several unfortunate incidents, Elliot finds himself shackled to his hometown, where he must learn to live with his family, the eccentric locals, and most of all, himself.
Finalist, Fox Comedy Pilot Competition. NYTVF 2011
FILM
The Armchair Travelers (Feature Drama)
After news of his estranged mother's death, a New York businessman on the brink of failure travels home to find out what his share of the estate is worth only to uncover an array of wild secrets.
Quarterfinalist for the Academy Awards' Nicholl Fellowship 2012
Semi-finalist for Table Read My Screenplay Park City 2018