Kenny Leon
Kenny Leon
Kenny Leon is an American director notable for his work on Broadway and in regional theater. Robert Simonson of Playbill described Leon as "arguably Broadway's leading African-American director." In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Play for "A Raisin in the Sun."...
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth10 February 1956
dear friend generation great greatest lost seen writer
We've lost a great writer, I think the greatest writer that our generation has seen and I've lost a dear, dear friend and collaborator,
absolutely family feels greater height painful people taken
The play has taken on a greater height of spirituality. He didn't make it. That was a painful thing, but it feels absolutely right that we are here. His family is here. His people are here.
august emotional relationship talking thinking
To try talking about my relationship with August and the contributions of that man, I get very emotional just thinking about it,
honest love
I don't have to make up what I love about Atlanta, ... This is going to be genuine, honest and heartfelt.
audience connecting human immensely joy understanding watching work
To see the joy of an audience watching the work and connecting to the work and understanding something about our connectedness to each other as human beings, that's immensely gratifying.
power strength theater
encompasses all the strength and power that theater has to offer.
coming effort energy gave health impressed spite
The same energy and effort he gave to 'Jitney,' 'Fences' and 'Gem of the Ocean' is here. In spite of his health issues, he's coming at it like a fighter, a soldier. I have been impressed and amazed.
coming effort energy gave health impressed spite
The same energy and effort he gave to 'Jitney,' 'Fences' and 'Gem of the Ocean,' is here. In spite of his health issues, he's coming at it like a fighter, a soldier. I have been impressed and amazed.
artistic close defined epitome last ourselves plays purpose serve social theater writer
August's accomplishments are unsurpassed - to me, the only writer to come close is Shakespeare, ... He has been the epitome of American theater for the last 23 years. He's defined it. His plays not only serve an artistic purpose, but they also serve a social purpose because they look at ourselves as Americans.
achieved director folks hand hear putting seamless seems sit stamp watches
I never think about putting my stamp on anything, ... If someone watches a play and they don't see the hand of the director in it, if it's seamless and seems effortless, then I will have achieved what I'm after. I want folks to sit and hear August's music.
bring casting generation people puffy somebody
In casting somebody like Puffy and having him bring in all his fans, you get the people in the hip-hop generation to see the play,
anchor growth hero
He's my hero because he's not only the anchor of my career, he's my growth as a man.
broader characters community context face free gave history human people slavery
He put our history in a storytelling context and put a human face on those people who were free from slavery but had no jobs. He gave his characters big voices, when the broader community thought they had little voices, that they had nothing to say.
committed definitely five looking shut six studying totally
Absolutely, ... but he'd have to be totally committed and shut down the businesses. He couldn't do anything else. He'd have to say, 'For these five or six months, I have to be about looking at and studying August's work.' It would definitely take some work, but I think he could do it.