Last Tuesday morning, the Broadway community buzzed with anticipation as Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry, both Tony Award® winners, stepped up to announce the nominations for the 77th Annual Tony Awards®. Among the esteemed nominees, Kenny Leon was honored with a Tony® nomination for directing the revival of Ossie Davis' Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. While this was a significant achievement for Leon as a director, marking his fourth Tony® nomination for Best Direction of a Play, it also marked a deeper, if lesser-known, victory for arts education and opportunity equity across New York City's public schools.
Kenny Leon, often hailed as one of Broadway's most impactful forces, has long been an advocate for broadening access to the arts, and he has a distinguished history with the Tony Awards®. He won his first Tony® in 2014 for Best Direction of a Play for A Raisin in the Sun, and was previously nominated in 2010 for his direction of Fences and A Soldier's Play. His productions have been a fixture at the Tony Awards® over the years.
“We want to get our young people, our young students in here so they can learn about their history, know their history... and come laugh and feel good about being human,” Leon said during his curtain speech on Purlie’s opening night. “I think the play allows us to do that.”
In partnership with the Department of Education and Situation Project, Leon and the entire Purlie team created an education initiative that provided nearly 2,500 NYC students from across 36 public schools from all five boroughs a unique opportunity to experience this powerful play on Broadway. With subsidized tickets and comprehensive support from various sponsors and partners, this initiative ensured that for many students, this was their first exposure to Broadway. The students received free copies of the published script and a study guide to deepen their understanding of the play's themes and history.
Moreover, student talkbacks were organized after performances, allowing the students to interact directly with the cast, further enhancing their engagement and learning experience. One memorable event was an in-depth panel conversation featuring Leslie Odom Jr., Kara Young—both of whom received Tony® nominations for their performances in Purlie—Jay O. Sanders, and Dr. Hasna Muhammad, educator, advocate, and daughter of playwright Ossie Davis and actress Ruby Dee., which took place at LaGuardia High School.
While Kenny Leon may be known more for his work as a director, his influence on audience development and education through initiatives like this is nothing short of incredible. And Purlie is only one of many examples of this kind of powerful work. Just a few months ago, the highly acclaimed Tony Award®-winning revival Topdog/Underdog, which Kenny also directed, welcomed over 4,000 NYC students to see the production, free of charge.
As Tony voters and viewers alike enjoy the success of Purlie Victorious, the arts are not a luxury. Rather, they are a vital part of education and personal development. In a city as diverse and dynamic as New York, it’s key that our cultural landscape reflects this richness.
Leon walks that walk, opening the doors of Broadway to the next generation, advocating for a program that not only entertains but educates and inspires. In a post-pandemic world where arts programs face cuts, initiatives like these underscore the profound impact of arts in education and the importance of maintaining access for all students.
