Leslie Blake

Award-Winning Actress. Techie Extraordinaire. Heroine to Many Shows. Winner of the Golden Diamond Mask Award.

Leslie Blake is a treasured member of the company who first joined Master Mystery Productions and the theatre community at large in August 2017 in her first ever role as Agent Paxton in our sold-out show Anonymous. The show performed on her birthday, and she worked on the show as a gift to herself. For her immense commitment and support to the show, even down to personally helping sell tickets, she received a special birthday present: The Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond.

She joined us as a Foley Artist for Ridge Writers’ Weird Weekend 2017 in The Silent City, C. R. Rowenson’s interactive post-apocalyptic thriller, helping to create the myriad sound effects in the show, some of which have continued to be used in digital Master Mystery Productions to this date.

She returned in September 2018 for What Happens at Sundown, a 1960’s mystery in the changing world of Hollywood, originally as an Ensemble role. But with the departure of a lead, Leslie assumed the part of Kim Hyatt, once an Oscar-winning darling of the 40’s whose comeback through television is marred by murder and madness. Scarred physically and mentally after a studio fire, Kim’s journey of remorse and insanity was difficult to portray with right mix of passion and pathos. Leslie met the challenge head-on and delivered a landmark and lauded performance which earned her first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance.

2019 saw Leslie continue her journey of growth and excellence in her busiest season yet. She served as the Makeup Designer for the Spring production of Eat Cake at Amargosa Opera House, designing all the period glamour makeup for our Versailles aristocrats, until a surprise tragedy forced an actor to leave and she learned the role of Marie Antoinette in one week to help us finish the run. For that, we awarded her one of the first Special Commendation certificates in MMP history.

She then played the role of haughty violinist Heather Violette in our life-sized mystery board game Foul Play in summer and as an Ensemble member/Dream Lenore for Lenore Nevermore in October 2019. She also worked on the makeup crew that executed the legendary white marble body paint on Beth Sparks-Jacques as Pallas Athena.

In 2020, she worked as the Dramaturg on Woman in the Walls and was cast as QueenB in an upcoming digital mystery, #MurderoftheMonth. She returned to the stage as a performer to take the role of Ms. Squeak in our hilarious costume party caper Who’s Who? in late 2021, while also serving as the Assistant Director, Jewelry Curator, and the co-Makeup Designer with Olivia Holm.

She performed as Dawn Schuyler, the owner of the Closer to Heaven nightclub who famously escaped the deadly intentions of the Half-Moon Killer who scarred her cheek with a half moon scar, to perfection in Closer to Heaven in May 2022, capturing the character’s nuanced arc of fierce, maternal protector, wounded survivor, and unshakeable leader in the face of crisis. Her performance received rave reviews.

In Unlucky Seven, our milestone 30^th Master Mystery Production, she gave a masterful comedic performance as Witness the Fourth, a committed slot jockey with a passion for martinis and her lucky photo of an unknown dog she called Poochums (ignore the mustard stains), engaging with everyone from audience members to cast members in equal measure and never dropping out of character. This level of commitment earned Leslie a historic honor: The Golden Diamond Mask Award for the 50^th Diamond Mask presented. This marked her second Diamond Mask-winning performance overall.

She continued her 2022 season with a seasoned performance as Camille Welbourne-Pryce in Act One of Tête-à-Tête that fall. She has gone on to work and train as a voice actress and will star in an upcoming episode of Regions Beyond, our paranormal mystery series on YouTube.

Leslie’s journey at Master Mystery Productions has been a moving story of finding your tribe, of discovering your talents and worth, and of growing your family and creating a special home for maturing artistic gifts. She has been a symbol of personal growth, artistic discovery, and heartfelt support for all of us in the MMP family. She has shown tremendous commitment as an artist and has learned skills and unveiled great strengths within her own heart that has allowed to blossom from a theatre newbie to a seasoned performer. She has found at Master Mystery Productions that continues to allow her to grow, change, and adapt as a performer and person. Her dedication and love for the company has continually inspired us to make a safe, productive, and creative home for our talented artists.