News
2022
The Happy Prince returning to Sydney's Highland Arts Theatre
"The family-friendly musical is based on the children’s story of the same name, and previous performances are widely considered to be some of the best ever performed by the theatre company."
2021
Celebrate Talent Trust's 2021 Scholarship Recipients
"This year's 67 successful scholarships were chosen from a field of 129 applications over two submission periods, 1 March and 1 May 2021. Five of the 67 scholarships are supported by the NS Arts Endowment Fund of $2,000 each. They are Katrina Ouellette for Dance, Spencer MacKayfor Film, Jacob MacDonald for Music, Emily O'Leary for Theatre, and Hannah Craig for Visual Arts."
2020
New York Times: Theater to Stream
"In Nova Scotia, the Highland Arts Theater is trying out a new, crowdsource-funding model by recruiting at least 2,000 people willing to pay a minimum of $25 a month. While it works on reaching this goal, the company is livestreaming for free two shows performed in front of distanced audiences in August. The Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor stars in his own play, “House” (Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.), while Emily O’Leary and Kevin Munroe lead the Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald musical “John & Jen” (Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.)."
Cape Breton's Highland Arts Theatre returns to the stage with ...
"Daniel MacIvor, the Siminovitch Prize-winning playwright and one of the many prides of Cape Breton, was the first up onstage in front of an audience, performing a newly revised, pandemic-updated version of his 1991 solo show, House. He’ll be performing the play for the rest of the month in repertory with the off-Broadway musical John & Jen, a two-hander starring local “rising stars” Emily O’Leary and Kevin Munroe."
2019
"...with the dazzling of vocals Emily O’Leary as Jesus Christ, it’s hard for this show to fail. Her clarity and accuracy brought so much to the performance... O’Leary’s interpretation stood on its own."
2018
Garnet & Gold Moves Toward the Darkness
"If you were to stop in at Convocation Hall before Jan. 27, you’d be greeted by a looming two-storey purple set, a torture rack and a crossbow. You’d also meet the death-loving Addams clan and their ancestors, including a dead bride, a hippie and a saloon girl.
However, these torture instruments and ghosts are no cause for alarm. They’re integral parts of Garnet and Gold Musical Theatre Society’s current production of The Addams Family. The musical, which runs from Jan. 25 to 27, follows the iconic family from the original New Yorker cartoons and the 1990s films. In this adaptation, the family must contend with a new issue: daughter Wednesday has changed. She’s fallen in love with the straight-laced Ohioan Lucas..."
HAT's "Spelling Bee" a Laugh Out Loud Audience Hit
"Sweet, lonely Olive (Emily O’Leary) is abandoned by her mom (ashram in India) and her dad (more mad at his wife than supportive of his daughter) and hopes a good showing will get her some attention from either of them... Emily O’Leary, another amazing singer, makes Olive sweet without being sappy: she sparkles with charm."
2017
Theatre Review: Oliver! – CBU Boardmore Playhouse
"Emily O'Leary, as Nancy, was ... the emotional heart of the play... With her character trapped in a life which offered no escape, O’Leary’s performance had true grit and heart to convince the audience she did not deserve such a bleak existence."
2015
Holly Muise and Emily O'Leary - Into the Woods
Theatre Review: Into the Woods – Savoy production ...
"...the beautifully voiced Emily O’Leary made an affecting Rapunzel who can’t sing away her woes."