Clark Atlanta Alum Kenny Leon Earns 2nd Tony Award Nomination For “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”

Distinguished Clark Atlanta alum Kenny Leon receives second Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play.

“A Raisin in the Sun” director and Clark Atlanta alum Kenny Leon received his second Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play.

The 2024 Tony Award nominations were announced last week, and Leon joined the likes of Alicia Keys as nominees for this year’s ceremony, Fox News reports. The 1979 CAU graduate earned his nod for his latest play adaption, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch.”

The nomination comes exactly 10 years after Leon won his first Tony for his 2014 adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” starring Denzel Washington. Anika Noni Rose, and more. Leon is celebrated for bringing Black stories to the stage with star talent like the award-winning “Fences.”

Leon’s work with the likes of Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, Danielle Brooks, and Kerry Washington has earned him several nominations, including three Primetime Emmys, two Tonys, a Drama Desk award, two Drama League awards, and an NAACP Award, among others.

In his 2018 memoir, “Take You Where You Go,” the Tallahassee, Florida, native credits his time at Clark Atlanta (then Clark College) for being the experience he needed ahead of pursuing a career in theater.

“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. I got in,” he wrote.

The school celebrated his latest Tony Award nomination and Leon’s contributions to the arts and theater world.

“We are immensely proud of the achievements of our distinguished alumnus, Kenny Leon, and his significant contributions to the arts and theater industry,” Charlene Gilbert, Ph.D., the provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, said. “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.”