Mechele Leon

A member of the KU faculty since 2002, Professor Mechele Leon teaches theatre history, dramatic theory, acting, and directing at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She served as Chairperson of the Department of Theatre (2012-2017) as Artistic Director of the University Theatre (2009-2012).

Dr. Leon's area of specialty is the history of French theatre, with a focus on cultural politics and national identity. Her book, "Molière, the French Revolution, and the Theatrical Afterlife" (University of Iowa Press, 2009) is winner of the Barnard Hewitt Award for Outstanding Research in Theatre History. She edited the anthology "A Cultural History of Theatre in the Enlightenment" (Bloomsbury, 2017). Her current research explores 20th-century French cultural diplomacy through the work of French language theatre in the United States. She wrote and performs the solo theatre piece "Bladder Interrupted: A Self-Story About Cancer" which aligns with research interests in illness, narrative, and performance.

Her articles and reviews have been published in Theatre Journal, French Historical Studies, Comparative Drama, and European Studies. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Co-convener of the Historiography section of the International Federation of Theatre Research, and member of the American Society for Theatre Research.

She is translator and adapter of plays by Molière, most recently Impromptu at Versailles and The Imaginary Invalid. Other plays and musicals she has directed include Shakespeare in Hollywood, Man Is Man, Shiloh Rules, The Maids, George Dandin, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Adding Machine: A Musical.

She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities faculty fellowship, a Bourse Chateaubriand from the French Government, and grants from the Hall Center for the Humanities at KU, The French Institute in Washington D.C., and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University. Living in France from 1996-2001, she taught theatre history, theory, and acting at the American University of Paris and held a post as lecturer in English at the University of Paris.

Dr. Leon has professional experience as a performer and an arts administrator. A graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, her acting experience includes the National Shakespeare Company, the Manhattan Ensemble, and the Hangar Theatre. She was formerly business manager for Theatreworks/USA in New York City. She served on the Board of Directors for the Kansas City Fringe Festival. Dr. Leon received her Ph.D. in Theatre Arts from Cornell University and a D.E.A. in Théâtre et arts du spectacle from the University of Paris. Her bachelor's degree in theatre is from the State University of New York, Empire State College.