Fairborn grad wants theater  to transform those on, off stage

Ron Alvey Michelle and Adam Leigh opened the SEED Project Theatre to encourage growth and experimentation. Staff file photo

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9:17 AM Thursday, March 4, 2010

Adam Leigh views theater as entertaining and transformative.

The 1998 Fairborn High School graduate and his wife, Michelle, are the founders of the SEED Project Theatre.

SEED, Societal Empowerment and Everyman Development, is the product of the Leighs’ desire to “reinvigorate the natural desire to serve within each of us.”

Last November, SEED Project Theatre presented its first production, “Circumference of a Squirrel” by John Walch.

The one-man show, a darkly comic look at how a father’s hatred of many things, including squirrels, infected every aspect of his son’s life, was a preview of the type of shows SEED plans for it’s 2010-11 season.

The Leighs, who live in Kettering, have been holding monthly meetings for those interested in getting involved. The next meeting will be at 4 p.m. March 28. The location will be announced on the SEED Web site.

Leigh was a music education major at Wright State University when he took time off to work. During that time, he began performing in musicals at Sinclair Community College.

“When I returned to Wright State in 2002, I was able to work with the College of Liberal Arts and create my degree program. I graduated in 2004 with a BFA in Selected Studies and my degree was called Directing Across Genres,” Leigh said.

In 2002, he also launched the Way Off Broadway Theatre Company at WSU and, for two theatrical seasons, produced cutting-edge work that was “rarely produced” in the Miami Valley.

“Almost immediately, the staff of Way Off Broadway saw how theater and art could transform the lives of those involved, both on stage and in the audience. This experience led me to a second new initiative — this time at the Dayton Playhouse.”

As executive director at the Dayton Playhouse, he implemented a second series to build audiences. The FLIP Side, with free admission, debuted in 2005.

“Again, in this experience, I witnessed how theater could penetrate the lives of those who opened their eyes and minds, and I was indeed hooked,” said Leigh, who left Dayton Playhouse to work on a master’s degree in organization leadership through Gonzaga University.

“Michelle and I believe that the material we will present will indeed empower our society to do good work in this world,” Leigh said, noting that a portion of the proceeds will go to local charities.

For more information, email adam@seedtheatreproject.org, call (937) 219-7835 or visit the SEED Web site at seedtheatreproject.org.

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