kenny leon | artistic director

Kenny's directorial credits span an incomparable range of work, from classic theatre, to drama, to comedy, to musicals, to musical revues, to film. He's directed extensively around the country, including, among others, Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Boston's Huntington Theatre, Connecticut's Long Wharf Theatre and Hartford Stage, Baltimore's Center Stage, Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group, Milwaukee Reparatory, New York's Public Theatre, Atlanta's Fox Theatre, Seattle Reparatory, Georgia Shakespeare, San Jose Reparatory, Dallas Theatre Center, and Oregon Shakespeare.

Kenny is Founding Artistic Director of True Colors Theatre Company. Kenny launched the company in Atlanta in 2002 in order to further his personal and professional mission of preserving and refreshing the African American classics, while also producing works by and for all Americans. Prior to founding True Colors, Kenny served an unprecedented 11-year tenure as Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre Company, and commissioned and directed three new works from Pearl Cleage, Flyin' West, Blues for an Alabama Sky and Bourbon at the Border. Also while at the Alliance, Kenny produced the premieres of Disney's and Elton John's Elaborate Lives: the Legend of Aida and Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo.

A familiar face on Broadway Kenny directed the 2004 Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, which featured Sean Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad; the show garnered two Tony Awards, and for Kenny, a nomination for Outstanding Director by Boston's Drama Desk Awards. His production of A Raisin in the Sun went on to register the highest-grossing weekly box office sales for a drama in Broadway history. Kenny also directed August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean (five Tony nominations) and Radio Golf (four Tony nominations). In Fall 2006, Kenny directed the Emmy-nominated film A Raisin in the Sun, featuring the Broadway cast, which aired on ABC on February 25, 2008. Kenny's Raisin was the first broadcast film ever to be picked up by the Sundance Film Festival and premiered there (out of competition) on January 23, 2008. Kenny directed the world premiere of Toni Morrison's opera, Margaret Garner featuring mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. Margaret Garner was produced at Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera (where it sold more tickets than any opera ever performed there) and most recently at Chicago's Roosevelt Auditorium Theater. Leon also served as Artistic Director of the 10-play August Wilson Century Cycle at the Kennedy Center in March 2008, which became the first time all ten plays were produced in repertory under one roof. Prior to the Kennedy Center, Kenny served as Stage Director for Alicia Keys' As I am Worldwide Tour, which launched in the UK, toured Europe, and finished in North America. In April 2008 at the Superdome in New Orleans Kenny worked with female survivors of hurricane Katrina and debuted a new work in collaboration with Eve Ensler and V-Day entitled Swimming Upstream. Swimming Upstream was also chosen as the opening piece for the 2008-2009 Season at True Colors Theatre Company. In the summer of 2008 Leon served as Director for Flashdance: The Musical, which opened in July 2008 and is currently touring the UK. Kenny will direct the stage adaptation of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner for Broadway.

Kenny was chosen as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2004, and was awarded the Martell Cognac Rise Above Award in 2005, honoring his artistry and entrepreneurial spirit. He was the Face of Martell for the '05-'06 advertising campaign and has been featured on the back covers of GQ, Black Enterprise and Jet magazines. Kenny was named one of the Top 20 Southerners to Watch by the Financial Times of London Magazine, received the Atlanta Business League Trailblazer Award, and the MIT Eugene McDermott Award, among many others.

A graduate and honorary Ph.D. of Clark Atlanta University, Kenny is also very active in the communities in which he lives and works. He directed Snapshots: From a Decade of Directing American Theatre for the Dekalb County, GA, school system, a retrospective of his directorial work performed by students from across the county; he sits on the Board of the New Globe Theatre, New York, NY; and is a mentor for the Theatre Development Fund's Open Doors program, also in New York.

Kenny is Principal of KL Productions, and is a sought-after motivational and inspirational speaker with engagements at civic and arts associations, and corporations around the country.