Nathan Leigh is a writer, composer, animator and the co-artistic director of CirqueSaw. His work investigates storytelling through the interplay of cutting-edge and bespoke technology with classic handmade techniques. His stop motion animations for I Know What It Means To Be Free, The House On Stilts, The Tulsa Post-Modernist Society, I Have Quite A Bit of Data, and Washashores have been recognized by JFREJ?s The Mazals, Newark International Film Festival, Tagore International Film Festival, Short Stop International Film Festival, and Manhattan Rep's STORIES Film Festival among others.
As a theatre artist, Nathan has designed sound and composed music for over 300 plays at theatres across the country. Off-Broadway credits include Space Dogs at MCC, Our Brother's Son at Signature Theatre, Original Sound at Cherry Lane Theatre, Nat Turner In Jerusalem at New York Theatre Workshop, Fur for Boundless Theatre, and The Duchess of Malfi for Red Bull Theatre. Regional credits include Barrington Stage Company, Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare, and Shakespeare and Company. His design for Berkshire Theatre Group's Godspell in 2020 was named the "Sound Design of the Decade" by Broadway World Berkshires. Audio productions include Icons and Idols: In the Purple Room, Fairies and Dragons, Ponies and Knights, and Audible?s Six Sermons starring Stephanie Hsu.
Nathan is the author of the plays Let's Start a Zine, The Horse Thief, Orpheus the Liar, the short play suite The Hyperion, as well as the serialized musicals Sealand! and William Henry Harrison: Time Detective which received their initial runs as part of the Serials@TheFlea. With Kyle Jarrow, Nathan co-created the musicals Big Money (WTF Boris Segall Fellowship 2008) and The Consequences (World Premiere 2012 at WHAT). With the Liars and Believers ensemble, Nathan Leigh composed scores for adaptations of Song of Songs, Icarus, and A Story Beyond. With Megan Sass, he is the composer and lyricist for The Mad Scientist?s Guide (NYC Fringe 2015). With partner Nicole Orabona, Nathan co-founded Cirque Saw Productions, creating the immersive online performance pieces POV: You Are An AI Achieving Consciousness and the forthcoming Void Main. POV was selected by the Young-Howze Awards as the Immersive Production of the Year for 2023.
From 2010 to 2023, Nathan served as the staff music columnist for AFROPUNK. In addition to his regular column Sound Check, Nathan curated AFROPUNK's monthly mixtape series from 2014 to 2023. In 2011, he became a founding member of the long-running activist arts collective The People's Puppets of Occupy Wall Street whose signature puppet, Lady Liberty, was recently displayed at the Mus�e de la Civilization in Quebec City.
In 2012, Nathan released his debut solo album A Life In Transit, following it with Ordinary Eternal Machinery in 2017. Myths, Conspiracy Theories, and Other Stuff I Made Up To Sound Interesting with backing band The Crisis Actors was released in 2020. Nathan?s animated video for ?The Immortan Joe Memorial Highway? won Best Music Video for Port Blair International Film Festival, Jersey Shore Film Festival, and Geek Fest Toronto. Nathan is currently at work on his debut feature film, a cyberpunk stop motion animation titled The Golem, expected out in 2025.
Nathan is a proud member of IATSE Local 829