CAU grad, award-winning director of Fences, A Raisin in the Sun nominated for 2024 Tony
Kenny Leon at Roundabout Theatre Companys 2024 Gala held at Ziegfeld Ballroom on March 4, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)
ATLANTA - The nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards are in and Clark Atlanta graduate Kenny Leon is fighting for first among the world's best.
Leon, who graduated in 1979, was nominated for Best Direction of a Play, "Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch."
This nomination comes a decade after winning his first Tony in the same category for his 2014 play adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun."
Leon has become known for bringing famous Black stories back to life on stage, like the award-winning play "Fences." He has also worked with major stars, like Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, The Color Purple's Danielle Brooks in "Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia" and Kerry Washington in Netflix' "American Son."
His love for telling culturally-rich stories with diverse casts may stem from his time studying at Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), a historically Black institution for higher learning.
"I went to visit the school [Clark College] and see Atlanta. It was everything I was looking for—a big, international city, away, but not too far away, from home, and a very good school," he wrote in his 2018 memoir, Take You Where You Go. "I got in."
Leon has been nominated for multiple awards for his directing skills throughout his decades-long career, including three Primetime Emmys, two Tonys, a Drama Desk award and two Drama League awards.
"We are immensely proud of the achievements of our distinguished alumnus, Kenny Leon, and his significant contributions to the arts and theater industry," said Charlene Gilbert, Ph.D., the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. "Mr. Leon's exceptional career is a testament to creative excellence and an inspiration for all of our students who aspire to a career in the arts."
The 77th Tony Awards will be held on June 16, 2024.
Purlie Victorious is a three-part comedic play written by actor Ossie Davis in 1961. Kenny Leon revived it on Broadway in 2023, casting Leslie Odom, Jr. to play the lead role. Leon's revival marked was the first major New York production of "Purlie Victorious" since the original in 1962.