Cricket Leigh
Actress / Voice-Over Artist /
Singer / Licensed Clinical Therapist /
Speaker
SAG-AFTRA / AEA / LMSW
My story
My name...The story goes that my great-grannie Lillian said my raspy cry sounded like “a little Cricket!” at birth...and it stuck. I grew up in Michigan surrounded by beautiful seasons and a love for theatre. My single mom took me to see musicals very young and I was hooked. I began my musical theatre journey at age 11, taking voice lessons and performing in any theatre I could, performing at two summer stock seasons. I became obsessed with Shakespeare, going weekly to a strange elderly man in a train depot to take lessons.
Don’t worry, mom was there too.
At 16, I did a “presentation” in our living room to my mom begging to attend the Chicago Academy for the Arts, saying that they had “a girl’s hotel I can live in!” She laughed...And after being accepted to the school and given a scholarship in the Theatre, Music and Dance programs, she moved us to my all-time favorite city of Chicago. My audition pieces were monologues from “The Diary of Ann Frank” & “Romeo & Juliet”, a German opera song, and a modern dance piece to a song by my old favorite, Kate Bush. I chose to major in Theatre and was happily cast within 2 months in “A Christmas Carol” at The Goodman Theatre. I felt home:) It was a magical place for me to get my Equity card.
For college I was terrified, because I had (undiagnosed) ADHD and knew I’d probably flunk out, (don’t even mention that every application was a hefty price for a single mom to cover). So, I took a risk and chose my top school, New York University (NYU) and gambled that if I didn’t get in, I wasn’t meant to go to college, (no one else in my family had:) I was offered early admission to NYU, and with loans plus a merit scholarship, I headed to NYC to the “Stella Adler Conservatory” to study with some of the best professors (and peers) in the world. My obsession with Shakespeare deepened and I began to see myself as a classical actress.
After NYU, I was auditioning for every play I could until one day I was interrupted while auditioning for an Off-Broadway show by the casting director who told me “With your voice, you should be doing voice-overs”. I didn’t book that show, but with that tip, I built a great VO career in NYC, being the voice of a cosmetics brand, a German beer, and a haircare line. I began doing commercials too and got my SAG & AFTRA cards. After a few years, I decided classical acting was not going to be my path, and I headed west, to Los Angeles.
In LA, I began taking classes at The Groundlings, and it became obvious that I was a comedienne, having grown up worshipping Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, and Joan Rivers. It was there that I began writing characters, sketches, and spent weekends doing long form improv with friends at their apartments just for fun. I was chosen to participate at The Sundance Theatre Lab in Utah for three weeks, and it was there that I decided that I needed to write my own work. After rehearsing for the original workshop production of Duncan Sheik’s musical “Spring Awakening” each day, I spent my nights writing my first play in an old green spiral notebook. That play, “Constantly Distracted”, was a one-woman show where I played 8 characters who are underdogs in society. I performed it in LA twice and realized I truly loved writing. A few years later, someone who heard me sing Janis Joplin at karaoke one night said it was uncanny how I sounded so similar. After doing 2 years of research on Janis, I wrote my next play, “Confetti Bayou”, a 2-person show imagining Janis finding love and staying sober instead of meeting the sad fate she did. I wrote this as a love letter to her and performed it twice in LA, including at the Fringe Fest there.
After tiring of palm trees and sun, I needed a change. A reckoning of my spirit began, of my purpose, and of whether to use myself in art or not. I quietly decided that writing and performing was not inspiring me anymore. Deciding to be the change I wanted to see in the world, I applied to graduate school for Social Work, where I knew I could help people and could do so on a larger scale than performing. I entered Western Michigan University (WMU) and graduated with honors with my master’s in social work degree (MSW). Over the past decade, I have been lucky as hell to meet humans who come to me for help, connection, healing, sobriety, trauma, mental illness, life transitions, couple’s help, school support, and many other forms. I never thought I would stop performing, but I just didn’t know when I would go back.
During the pandemic, an animated show I had once voiced for Nickelodeon called Avatar: The Last Airbender, shot to #1 on Netflix, and suddenly fans of my character “Mai” began to reach out to me on social media asking for my autograph, my videos, audios, headshots, and although I knew what a gem this show was, I had no idea of its impact. This led me to the Anime & Comic-Con circuit where I now travel year-round, meeting fans, connecting to people and doing panels on voice overs and on mental health.
Now, I am merging my two careers with “CRICKET LEIGH TALKS”, my personal brand of no-nonsense, direct, & humor-filled approach to mental health, voice-overs, and to life itself. I now see a handful of private clients on zoom, travel to meet Avatar fans, am writing a TV comedy script about being a Stepmom, creating a podcast and loving life.
Actress Bio:
Cricket grew up in Kalamazoo, MI until 16 when she moved to Chicago to attend The Chicago Academy for the Arts. In Chicago, she performed at The Goodman Theatre in The Winter's Tale (dir. Frank Galati) and A Christmas Carol. Other Chicago credits include: Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Frank Galati’s The Voyage of Edgar Allen Poe; Kafka’s The Trial, and many more. Cricket received her BFA with honors from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, studying at The Stella Adler Conservatory & The Experimental Theatre Wing (Amsterdam, Netherlands). At NYU, she performed leads in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, The Tempest, Durang's Titanic & others.
Cricket spent two summers acting at the prestigious Sundance Theatre Lab in Utah, working with Tony-award winning director Michael Mayer in the Original Workshop Prod. of Spring Awakening as Thea & in Playwright Oliver Mayer's play Conjunto. After moving to Los Angeles, Cricket studied with The Groundlings, where she found a knack for inventing characters that led her to write, produce & perform in her first play, a one-woman show called
Constantly Distracted. Next, Cricket wrote and produced a one-act play with 2 characters, called Confetti Bayou: The Last Interview with Janis Joplin, playing Janis herself. Cricket is a past Manhattan Monologue Slam Champion, having written & performed monologues all over L.A.
Cricket is an accomplished Voice-Over artist, who’s work includes numerous Commercials, Games,
& Animation (including voicing "Mai" in Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender. She voiced a
sexy Diet Pepsi can in a commercial that played during a recent Superbowl. On-camera, Cricket
performed in numerous commercials, and starred in the Indie cult film, The Boys & Girls Guide
To Getting Down, streaming now. You can catch Cricket at dozens of Anime-Fests and Comic-
Cons throughout the U.S. meeting fans and signing autographs for her work in Avatar: The Last
Airbender. Cricket still performs onstage and is currently writing a sitcom about her life as a
therapist & stepmom to two teenage boys.
"This is one of the few moments when you can honestly say this is theatre at its best. It is Cricket Leigh who will absolutely break your heart as she begs for her knight to return to her. Positively riveting."
TV & FILM
RESUME
SAG-AFTRA / AEA
Height: 5' / Eyes: Green / Hair: Brown
Amazon Prime & Concrete Images / The Boys & Girl’s Guide to Getting Down / Bernice
40 Acres & a Mule Prods. / Pop Tarts / Alma
Dreamlover Prods. Fixing Rhonda / Barbie
Axis Mundi Prods. / Mama Medea / Luca (Jazz Singer)
VOICE-OVER
PCB Prods. & Volition Inc. / Red Faction: Guerilla (2009) / Tangier / Video Game
JapanStudio / White Knight Chronicles (2010) / Voices / Video Game
Ubisoft Entertainment / Saint’s Row 2 (2008) / Voices / Video Game
Volition Inc. / Shaun White Snowboarding (2008) / Voices / Video Game
Nickelodeon Animation Studios / Avatar: The Last Airbender (2006-2008) / Mai / Animated Series
Nickelodeon Animation Studios / Avatar: The Last Airbender “The Burning Earth” / Mai / Video Game
Capcon Co. / Lost Planet: Extreme Condition-Colonies (2006) / Basil / Video Game
Disney/Pixar / Cars: Mater-National (2007) / Emma / Video Game
Electronic Arts Blackbox / Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004) / Voices / Video Game
Disneytoon Studios / Pixie Hollow (2008) / Voices / Video Game
THEATRE
Casualty at the Commack Comic-Con Con Job/ Thandie/ Actor’s Temple Theatre, NYC / Andrew Cristi, Dir.
Confetti Bayou: The Last Interview w/ Janis Joplin / Janis / The L.A. Fringe Fest / Brian Powell, Dir.
Constantly Distracted / One-Woman show / Stella Adler Theatre, LA / Tim Cummings, Dir.
Ministry Loves Company / Estrella / Edgemar Center for the Arts, LA / Naked Angels Prod. / Shirley Jo Finney, Dir.
Spring Awakening (Original Workshop prod.) / Martha Bessel / Sundance Theatre Lab, UT / Michael Mayer, Dir.
Bump, Giggle & WOW / One-Woman show / Westbeth Theatre, NYC / Tim Cummings, Dir.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses / Cecile / Interplay Theatre, Chicago / David Perkovich, Dir.
The Voyage of Edgar Allen Poe / Young Virginia Poe / The Chicago Lyric Opera / Frank Galati, Dir.
Lolita / Lolita / Interplay Theatre, Chicago / David Marcelle, Dir.
The Trial / Frank / National Pastime Theatre, Chicago / Roger Smart, Dir.
The Winter’s Tale / Ensemble & U/S Perdita / The Goodman Theatre, Chicago / Frank Galati, Dir.
Conjunto / Lupe / Sundance Theatre Lab, UT / Oliver Mayer, Dir.
Macbeth / Weird Sister #1 / Footsteps Theatre Co., Chicago / Alison C. Vesely, Dir.
A Christmas Carol / Martha Cratchit / The Goodman Theatre / Steve Scott, Dir.
Onionheads / Clementine / Sundance Theatre Lab, UT / Amy Redford, Dir.
The Tempest / Ariel / NYU Black Box Theatre / Dara Ellis, Dir.
Titus Andronicus / Tamora / NYU -Stella Adler Conservatory / James Tripp, Dir.
Titanic (Durang) / Lidia / NYU Black Box Theatre / Matt Ferrell, Dir.
SPECIAL SKILLS
Improv/Sketch Comedy, Shakespeare, Dialects (Standard British, Cockney, French, NYC & Southern), Voice (Alto/Mezzo w/ Belt), Tennis, Professional Make-up Artist, Strong movement background, Mask-Work, Commedia dell’ arte, Janis Joplin sound-a-like, Playwright, Monologue Slam Champion
TRAINING
Joyce & Byrne Piven- Chicago & L.A. -Scene study, Viola Spolin techniques, Improv & Commedia dell’ arte
The Groundlings- L.A. (Level 3)
New American Theatre Co.- L.A. -Acting: Jack Stehlin; Shakespeare/ Folio Technique: Alfred Molina
Sundance Theatre Lab- Utah (2 Seasons)
New York University-Tisch School of The Arts– BFA Drama w/Honors
- Acting: James Tripp-Stella Adler Conservatory
- Shakespeare: Louis Scheeder-The Classical Studio
- Movement/ Experimental Theatre: Kevin Kuhlke (Experimental Theatre Wing) & Joanie Evans (Stella Adler Conservatory)
- Voice: Angela Vitale (Stella Adler Conservatory) & Kristin Linklater
Download Full Resume
Merchandise:
(8 x 10) =$40.00
Mai Print #1
Mai Print #2
Mai & Zuko
Azula, Ty Lee, Mai & Zuko
(11 x 14) =$55.00
*Prices listed include personalized autograph and /or quote
Mai Poster
FunkoPOPS!
- Mail-in (your own) FunkoPOP with Signature $85
- Mail-in FunkoPOP with Signature & Quote $100
- My own (stocked) Pop with Signature $100
- My own Pop with Signature & Quote $125
"Cricket Leigh has the look of a pristine young version of Madonna. Leigh turns in a performance as beautifully affecting and poignant as you will see all year."
Watch Cricket
Cricket’s one-woman show
The Last Interview with Janis Joplin
Therapist Bio:
In 2014, Cricket made a drastic change, moving from NYC back home to Michigan
to attend graduate school for Social Work at Western Michigan University (WMU).
After graduating with top honors, Cricket has been helping people with her direct
style, humor, and a few swear words ever since. Cricket is a licensed therapist for individuals, couples & families. She works with all ages on a variety of issues
including anxiety, mood disorders, family conflict, trauma, PTSD and personal
growth.
As a therapist, Cricket is trained in EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT, and Internal Family Systems
(IFS). She also utilizes Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
and Mindfulness/Meditation. She is licensed by the state of
Michigan as a Master Social Worker in Clinical Therapy.
She serves on a board to increase Childhood Trauma Awareness
and Resiliency for her community. She uses her platform on
Instagram an TikTok to talk about mental health as a way to break
stigma and to promote strategies to help those who are suffering.
She serves on the New York University (NYU) Alumni Association and has a special
interest in performing artists who seek mental health resources, as well as the
intersection of animation, performing arts and mental health.
"Cricket is the only couple’s therapist my husband
didn’t quit going to because he found her fun, refreshingly
honest, and felt that she never took sides."
"I saw Cricket for 4 sessions of EMDR for my anxiety/phobia
and felt better in 1. She was my “hype-man”, has a laugh-out
loud perspective on chaos, and she taught me to be my own therapist
with skills to calm and regulate my anxiety.
Highly recommended.”
"Cricket is a cross between Dr. Phil and
Chelsea Handler. Her heart mixed with humor are
what make her such a great changemaker."
CLINICAL RESUME
CRICKET ALEXANDER, LMSW
She/Her/Hers
Fully licensed in the state of Michigan, I am a self-directed, passionate clinician interested in seeing individuals, couples or
families to provide modalities and interventions to help them solve self-identified concerns. I am also available for speaking or training
on topics such as mental health in the workplace, burnout, crisis management, self-care, and others.
EXPERIENCE:
2022-Present: Outpatient Therapist -Kalamazoo, MI & Telehealth all over the U.S.
2019-2022: BLND Health, Clinical Director of Mental Health & Lead Therapist -Ann Arbor & Kalamazoo, MI
- Provide leadership and oversight to all clinical programs using a trauma-informed model of care along with compassion, empathy, levity and hope
- Provide individual clinical supervision to core clinical staff members weekly and group supervision biweekly
- Play a key role in the overall development, strategic planning, and service delivery regarding all clinical services
- Evaluate the needs for recruitment, interviewing and hiring to fulfill program needs, & staff assignments
- Identify and develop business relationships with external organizations/providers/community groups, create specified and catered curriculum for each partnership and to conduct presentations and communications with them
- Oversee external clinical initiatives where therapists are contracted, to ensure delivery of services and appropriate and timely reporting
- Ensure internal staff compliance and awareness through the utilization of training resources
- Provide clinical oversight and supervision to all master’s level interns from EMU, WMU and U of M, including taking part in field site visits, and completing ratings each semester on their acumen and progress as emerging clinical therapists
- Possess excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, with astute ability to articulately present material in front of large audiences
- Possess strong organizational, project management and problem-solving skills with impeccable multi-tasking abilities
- Provide direct services, workshops and presentations to Individuals, Families, Corporations, Schools, Hospitals and other Organizations in person or on telehealth, utilizing modalities including: Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR); Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Parts Work (IFS).; Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT); Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT); Play Therapy; Psychoeducation; Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT); Motivational Interviewing; Parent Management Training (PMTO); Reunification Therapy (RT-for families involved in divorce or separation in court)
2017-2019: Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center, Children & Adolescent Program Coordinator / Outpatient Therapist-Kalamazoo, MI
- Oversee and provide management to Case Management staff for ages 0-17
- Weekly supervision and periodic trainings for team of Case Managers
- Collect and report Census data bi-monthly to present to leadership and to governing bodies; Monitor charts for employees to ensure timely documentation
- Create yearly measurable outcomes for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
- Provide direct services to Case Management clients during crises; Provide adolescent substance use Assessments for the Juvenile Drug Court; Provide weekly group therapy for parents of children in the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Drug Court program
- Provide individual and family therapy utilizing trauma-informed assessments and treatment planning, utilizing: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT); Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT); Play Therapy; psychoeducation; Parent Management Training-Oregon model (PMTO); Provide early childhood intervention, assessments and treatment to children ages 0-6 and their families in their home, school and in the community
- Assist parents in learning skills such as co-regulation, attachment strengthening, and communication
- Attend school special education meetings for IEP or 504 Plans
- Provide comprehensive case management services, including consultation, crisis intervention, and coordination between all parties involved
- Help families navigate referrals to other service providers such as Occupational Therapy, Outpatient Therapy, etc.
- Possess skills such as organization, collaboration, multi-tasking, diagnostic comprehension, and knowledge of early childhood development
2016-2017: Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center, Adolescent Therapist -Kalamazoo, MI
- Provide group therapy for adolescents in the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Drug Court
- Prepare assessments and treatment plans to meet the needs of the client and family for use in diagnosis and treatment
- Provide comprehensive case management services, including consultation, crisis intervention, and coordination between all parties
- Participate in multi-disciplinary teams as required to assess, plan, and review the needs of client and families
- Provide transportation to client/families to ensure 360-degree care
- Record delivered services and perform required case documentation in an accurate and timely manner as required by regulating entities, accreditation organizations, and management
2015-2016: Family & Children’s Services, INTERNSHIP (TF-CBT & School-Based Therapist) -Kalamazoo, MI
- Provide individual outpatient therapy to children utilizing: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Parts Work, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Play Therapy, psychoeducation, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), motivational interviewing (MI) and Body-Based Interventions
- Provide school-based therapy to clients ages 5-12 utilizing modalities above
- Served on the Kalamazoo Promise Celebration committee
2014-2015: Catholic Charities, INTERNSHIP (Outreach Case Manager) -Kalamazoo, MI
- Provide case management to homeless youth in crisis ages 9-21 with depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, domestic violence, & assault
- Assist in securing housing in Kalamazoo County, GED assistance and resume-building
- Present weekly topics to teenage mothers via the S.T.A.R.R. Literacy Program
- Co-lead the Positive Youth Development (PYD) program during holiday breaks for youth with developmental or behavioral challenges ages 10-17, to build peer skills
CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS:
- Certified EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization & Re-processing) practitioner
- Certified PMTO (Parent Management Training) practitioner
- Trainings in: Attachment Disorders; TF-CBT; Co-Occurring SUD treatment, Intimate Partner Violence; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder; Self-Harm; Suicide
- Speaker on Mental Health for Bronson Hospital & Kalamazoo Public Schools
- Member of Raising Kalamazoo committee at United Way
EDUCATION:
School of Social Work, Western Michigan University (WMU) -Kalamazoo, MI (2016)
- Master of Social Work (MSW) Degree
- Specialty in TF-CBT and Trauma across the lifespan
- Member of the Honor Society for 4.0 GPA
Tisch School of The Arts, New York University (NYU) -NYC (1995)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Drama Degree
- Specialty in Classical Acting Training (Shakespeare, Chekhov, Euripides)
- Member of the Honor Society for 3.8 GPA
- Co-founding member of the Tisch School of The Arts Alumni Council
- Annual Merit scholarship for The Stella Adler Studio within Tisch
- National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) Awardee
- Co-Founding member of the Tisch Alumni Council
Therapy should be challenging, enlightening,
AND FUN.
My no-nonsense approach, along with my background as an actress,
allows me to help adolescents and adults identify negative patterns, limiting beliefs,
people-pleasing, boundary setting and more, to help them move past their barriers and meet their
goals in a focused amount of time. I work with individuals, couples & families,
using these models below. Click on each for more information.
*Cricket offers HIPAA-compliant Telehealth sessions.
My goldendoodle Charlie
Voice-Over
Tom Lawless @ VOX Inc.
323.655.8699
Socials
Personal Appearances
John Alexander
john@cricketleigh.com
Contact Cricket directly
john@cricketleigh.com
Get in touch