Acclaimed for comedic delivery and natural on-stage presence, LESLIE SANDERSON has performed in dozens of plays and musicals in Florida and New Hampshire. In 2023, BroadwayWorld Fort Myers/Naples awarded her BEST PERFORMER IN A PLAY for her role as Nanny in “Hollywood Arms,” a roman à clef of young Carol Burnett’s life, performed at ACT Theatre on Marco Island. In 2025, Sanderson placed 2nd (of 21 actors) in BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN A PLAY for her role as Berthe, the insubordinate maid, in the farce “Boeing Boeing” at ACT. Other notable performances include the rich divorcee Cornelia Cunningham in “Love and Money,” vengeful Peg in “You’ve Got Hate Mail,” Winnie as an adult in the musical “Tuck Everlasting.” and the belly-dancing narrator of “Dancing with Breast Cancer.”
Also a playwright, Sanderson’s plays have been produced in and have won short play contests in USA, England, New Zealand, Dubai, U.A.E., and in Perth, Illawara, and Sydney, Australia, often as “audience choice” as they tackle social issues with wicked humor. Local audiences have seen Sanderson’s “Other Priorities,” “Infrequent Fliers,” “Invisible,” “Blood Lines,” and” Disposables” on stages in Bonita Center for the Arts, The Naples Players, and ACT Theater.
Off stage, Leslie lives and travels with her husband and former Formula Car driver, Bob Ziegel, and Ivy, their Standard Poodle. She serves on the Board of New Hampshire Music Festival and Gulf Coast Poodle Rescue, and is a member of United Arts Collier, the Dramatists Guild, The Playwright’s Center, and Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Links to articles about my work and performances:
Sanderson featured by Arts Center Theatre’s ‘Afternoon of Play Readings’ | ArtSWFL.com https://share.google/4LlvERALXCrB5Mpgx
Voices on the stage, Southwest Florida’s playwrights harness the art of storytelling
https://www.floridaweekly.com/articles/fort-myers-ae/voices-on-the-stage/
‘Hollywood Arms’ combines hard times with bittersweet moments | WGCU News | PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida https://share.google/c6wSWodjd3cHj2iAH
