Bio

Leslie Arden is arguably Canada's most talented Musical Theatre writer.  Equally skilled as a composer, lyricist and librettist Leslie Arden has written some of Canada's most powerful and moving works of Musical Theatre.

"The House Of Martin Guerre" has been an international success, playing to rave reviews in Chicago and Toronto.  It deserves to, and will someday, be produced around the world.

"Harvest Moon Rising" is the beautiful story of a modern family struggling to maintain their family farm and their rural way of life.

Her work for "The Children's Trio", a Young Audience Touring Company, includes the sophisticated one-act musicals "The Happy Prince" and "The Princess And The Handmaiden".  "The Princess And The Handmaiden" will soon be available in a new 2-Act version.

Leslie was one of 13 professional musical theatre writers chosen by Cameron Mackintosh and Stephen Sondheim to take part in a 6 month master class taught by Mr. Sondheim in Oxford, England in 1980.

Stratford debut: Composer for Cyrano de Bergerac. Leslie Arden has had a varied background as a writer, composer, lyricist, performer and director. She’s written over a dozen musicals, including the critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning The House of Martin Guerre and the Chalmers Award-winning The Happy Prince. Leslie’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing was produced by Chicago’s American Musical Theatre Project in August 2006, and this musical was chosen to be showcased by the National Alliance of Musical Theater in New York City later that same year. Leslie wrote the music for Canadian Stage’s productions of The Beard of Avon and It’s a Wonderful Life (in which she was also a performer). Currently, Leslie is writing a new musical for the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, and also a contemporary musical adaptation of Moll Flanders.

"A brilliantly talented composer-librettist."
Canadian Theatre Review