photo by steed media service

While Tyler Perry reaped the fruits of Hollywood success in 2007, Kenny Leon was quietly managing his budding theatre empire while plotting a takeover of theater, television and film in 2008. Like Perry, Leon is a writer, director and producer who is proud to have found success in an industry that pigeonholes African American thespians in stereotypical characters and themes.

A Clark Atlanta University graduate, Leon set a Broadway box-office record for the highest-grossing drama ever with his revival of A Raisin in the Sun. In 2008, Leon is anticipating the play’s appearance as a feature film at the Sundance film festival, as well as a three-hour television event, which will air on ABC. Meanwhile, Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, which he founded in 2002 with business partner Jane Bishop, has garnered national acclaim for their productions of African American classics like The Wiz. For Leon, one of People magazine’s 2004 “50 Most Beautiful People,” fame isn’t nearly as important as unity among black stars. “I think we’re still evolving but it’s like the industry always finds a way to break us up — it’s still about that money,” he says. “I would love to see Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel and Wesley all do something together, but it’s hard.”

“I think we’ve got to remember the messages from our ancestors because they always made a way when there was no way and we can’t [get too] comfortable and think that we have arrived or we have made it,” he says. “We’ve got to keep pushing, keep making a way for future generations.” - gavin phillip godfrey

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