Best Theatrical Artistic Director

Although KENNY LEON garnered national interest again this past December when he directed NBC’s live-TV rendition of the musical Hairspray, it’s the Tony Award winner’s work with the Atlanta-based True Colors Theatre Company that earns major props from us. Founded in 2002, True Colors has been a catalyst behind some of the city’s most relevant and topical theatrical productions, with Leon — the company’s artistic director and co-founder — at the helm. Its most recent season of plays, for example, touched on the nation’s public school system and mental illness, among other real-life issues — but done in a way that’s not heavy-handed or preachy. Add to that the fact that True Color’s productions are held at the Southwest Arts Center, bringing quality theater to communities that have often been overlooked, and it’s clear Leon’s influence reverberates well beyond the stage. www.kennyleon.com. less...

In a theater world hungry for the next hot world premier, BRIAN CLOWDUS proves that the shows you thought you knew still have some secrets waiting to be wrung out. As founder and artistic director of Serenbe Playhouse, he has continually mined grit, sex, and new energy from shows that have been making the community and high school theater circuit for ages. Stagings of Oklahoma, Of Mice and Men, and Charlotte’s Web have found new life among Serenbe Farm’s rustic environs. Clowdus’ bold decision to land an actual Huey helicopter in the middle of a staging of Miss Saigon drew the attention of Playbill and the New York Times, but ultimately, the flair for spectacle is all in service of fully immersing audiences in these age-old stories, encouraging them to take a fresh look at shows they may think they already know. www.serenbeplayhouse.com. less...