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EENY, MEENY, MINY – NO!
EENY, MEENY, MINY – NO! uncovers the hidden histories behind children’s songs, rhymes, and entertainment — and what they mean for how we care for children today.
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Leslie Olabisi
LESLIE O VOICE
Leslie Olabisi is a Nigerian American actor, award-winning voiceover artist, host, and presenter working across film, television, live events, and digital media. A SAG-eligible performer, she trained at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and studied under legendary acting coach Wynn Handman. Her screen credits include For My Man and Toe to Toe, and her voice has been featured in campaigns for Fortune, Target, Sprite, FIS Financial, Bright Farms, state of Ohio, Netflix, and Dove.
She received a SOVAS Voice Arts Award for “Outstanding Radio Promo – Best Voiceover,” and narrated the Emmy-nominated documentary UNMARKED.
In addition to her performance career, Leslie is an experienced Teaching Artist who designs and facilitates arts-based programming for youth in partnership with public and community institutions. Her literacy-centered workshops combine storytelling, improvisation, and voice performance to strengthen confidence, collaboration, and creative expression. Through interactive programs such as Let’s Build a… and Our Audiobook, she guides young participants in transforming stories into live performance and recorded projects, bridging professional artistic practice with accessible arts education.
LESLIE O VOICE
CLIN# – 0003 Dance & 0007 Theater
“Let’s Build a…” (Imaginative Play at the DC Library)
Ages: 12 and under | Versions: 30-minute & 60-minute sessions
Overview: Let’s Build a… is a high-energy imaginative play and drama activity designed to spark creativity, encourage teamwork, and support self-expression through improvisation. Children are invited to move, act, and imagine as they build an entire world together—drawing inspiration from a story and transforming it into live play.
Program Highlights:
- Fosters collaboration, creativity, and foundational acting skills
- Features book-inspired improv games and character role-play
- Begins with a short story from the library’s collection (read aloud or paraphrased)
- Children are assigned characters and roles in a shared imaginative world
- Props are creatively re-used to represent different elements of the environment
- As the story unfolds, new surprises are introduced (weather changes, challenges, victories) to keep the children adapting and engaged
- Sessions expand naturally by adding new characters, scenes, or plot twists
Objective: To help children understand the value of working together while using their imagination to build something bigger than themselves—proving that storytelling and teamwork go hand in hand.
“OurAudiobook” (Voiceover at the DC Library)
Ages: 12 and under | Versions: 30-minute & 60-minute sessions
Overview: OurAudiobook is an interactive reading and performance program that brings books to life through the voices of young readers. Designed to strengthen literacy skills and build confidence, this hands-on project allows children to turn a selected story into a custom group audiobook—complete with narration, character voices, and sound effects.
Program Highlights:
- Reinforces reading fluency through guided recitation and dramatic expression
- Introduces children to voiceover performance in a fun, creative environment
- Encourages collaboration by assigning roles based on interest and reading level
- Books are chosen by group vote or library theme and matched to class size for balanced participation
- Non-readers can contribute through sound effects or group narration
- Final product is a recorded audiobook that children can share and be proud of
Objective: To foster a love of reading by transforming it into a collaborative, voice-driven experience—where every child becomes part of the story.