Kenny Leon on his "Much Ado About Nothing"

Director Kenny Leon's production of Much Ado About Nothing mesmerized audiences during last summer's Shakespeare in the Park. Now, you can watch this exuberant, sassy, and political performance, starring Orange is the New Black's Danielle Brooks, on PBS's Great Performances. We talked to Kenny Leon about how he approaches a new production and how Shakespeare's comedies speak to our present moment.

Kenny Leon is the founding artistic director of True Colors Theatre Company and Artistic Director of Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. In 2014, he won the Tony Award for Best Director for his revival of A Raisin in the Sun. Leon's recent film work includes Netflix's American Son with Kerry Washington, which he also directed on Broadway. His memoir, Take You Wherever You Go, was published by Grand Central in 2018. Kenny Leon is interviewed by Barbara Bogaev.

From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published November 26, 2019. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode, "Let's Have a Dance," was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer. We had technical helped from James Walsh at Threshold Recording Studios in midtown Manhattan.

Very cool process

Hearing Leon talk about how he engages with the material was quite an interesting take.