UCLA theater student Heather Leimberg trained her whole life to
perform on Broadway. This past summer, sweating in ballet class and
nailing those notes in singing lessons paid off when she shared the
stage of New York’s Neil Simon Theatre with Tony Award
winners as part of the ensemble cast in the musical
“Hairspray.”
Based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name,
“Hairspray” is set in the 1960s, following Tracy
Turnblad’s transformation into a teen celebrity after winning
a spot on a local television dance program. Leimberg, who goes by
the stage name Heather Lindell, played Turnblad’s friends
Tammy and LouAnne as a vacation swing from August through
September.
Leimberg maintained a professional attitude during rehearsal but
admits to being star struck when it came to sharing the stage with
veteran talents.
“Working with Harvey Fierstein was definitely the high
point for me because he’s such an amazing actor and I think
he carries that show,” said Leimberg
As a student of the Ray Bolger Musical Theater program, a
concentration within the UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television
and Digital Media, Leimberg performed last year in
“Hair” and “Hello Again.” The program is
limited to less than 25 students, and they are required to take
extra singing and dancing classes on top of the standard theater
classes.
“It requires complete dedication and focus. You have to
really want to do it and be willing to sacrifice other things, like
free time,” Leimberg said of the rigorous program.
After working in the real world, Leimberg is still enthusiastic
about soaking up more training back at school. Part of the reason
she chose UCLA as opposed to a conservatory was to explore other
interests besides theater.
“The liberal arts education was important to me.
I’ve always been pretty sure of myself in knowing what I
wanted to do, but I like learning about different things, and I
didn’t want to be stuck breathing and eating musical theater
every day,” said Leimberg.
One thing her stay in Los Angeles produced was roles in film and
television. Amid a stint of commercials, Leimberg landed a the part
of the best friend of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s characters
in the made-for-video film “Getting There.” Leimberg
laughs about the experience whenever she sees the twins on E!
Entertainment.
“The girls have blown up ““ it’s so weird and
creepy. I turned 20 years old on the set, and they were
15,” said Leimberg.
Even with her experience in film, Leimberg’s heart will
always be in theater, and that live connection with the audience.
According to Leimberg, New York, where theater lives and breathes
and opportunities abound, is her next destination.
“I think it’s great when people can appreciate
musical theater, even if it needs to be made into a film (like
“Chicago”) so it can be accessible to people, because
it’s not,” she said.