Remembering Leigha Lee Browne
Leigha Jamieson, later Leigha Lee Browne, was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1945. After her family immigrated to Canada, Leigha grew up in Prince Edward Island, attending Prince of Wales College and developing a love for drama. She came to Toronto in 1970 during her 20s to study at the newly established “Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama” where she earned a Master’s degree and Master of Philosophy in Drama. After a short stint back home in PEI to teach Drama and English Literature, she returned to Toronto, hired to teach at what was then called “Scarborough College”.
In only about 12 years Leigha directed more than 20 full productions. There were plays exploring feminist history in Canada, partnerships with local high schools, and elaborate shows in the Meeting Place for which Leigha somehow coaxed what seemed like half the campus onstage. For instance, in her last major show, Alice's Adventures in the Meeting Place, Humanities Chair Wayne Dowler played the Mad Hatter, Social Sciences Chair Rorke Bryan the March Hare and College Principal G. Ronald Williams the Dormouse.
Leigha would go on to be an instructor and director here up until her untimely passing in 1986. All who knew her admired her limitless energy, her high standards for the shows she created, her determination to see her projects through.
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