Today we’d like to introduce you to Dionne Lea.
Hi Dionne, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up in Milwaukee, I attended a very diverse Performing Arts high school that exposed me to a lot of theatre. However, when I attended professional stage shows, I never saw any performers who looked like me, which completely contradicted what I saw day-to-day at school. So, I did my first one-woman show as a high school student! At that time, my grandmother was visiting from Mississippi. She’d never seen me or any Black woman on stage performing…telling our stories. That was a big deal! She was very proud, and her pride made me want to do more.
History repeated itself when I went to college; I was the only Black woman in the Theatre Department for four years. Again, I created a one-woman show – the first solo performance by any Black person in the Theatre Department’s history…that was 1994.
Once I moved to NYC for Grad School at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, I saw many Black performers doing their thing – from Broadway, The Public Theater, to Shakespeare in the Park. I could identify, and it was amazing! I found my home and my people. Change took me out of the City, my cultural heaven, and brought me here to Los Angeles. Not knowing the landscape or what to do, I started all over. I began writing shows that made people think. Shows with which people could identify, particularly people who look like me. I aimed to create a safe place for diverse audiences to think, breathe, and contemplate their own lives. That exploration led me to my current theatre production, The Way It Is…Now. My journey and my show continue to evolve to keep pace with life. Each iteration of the show goes a little bit deeper, allowing me and it to become better as we grow…together.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Is there such a thing as a smooth road?! I believe that nothing worth doing is easy or smooth. Raising children while working is challenging, especially since I’ve always participated fully in their lives. Having a well-known actor as a husband is challenging. Trying to be seen as an artist, singer, and actor, in my own right, while wearing different hats and juggling many roles makes pursuing big dreams challenging. Using performing arts to create a safe space for marginalized groups to sit with their thoughts and form their own opinions about what’s going on in the world around them is challenging. All extremely fulfilling and exhilarating, but challenging nonetheless.
The biggest challenge of all – my identity. My journey. How others see me and how I see myself.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I tell stories. I specialize in telling stories. I’m known for telling stories – relatable stories of the Black migration, my southern parents who had twelve children (I’m the youngest) – a farm family in Milwaukee with no farm. My stories have a history because I’m the product of older parents.
At NYU, we had a class called Games. Day after day, we’d play games that evolved into stories. In these games, the beginning, middle, and end were never in that order, which is when I learned just how much thinking is involved in non-traditional storytelling; how do these stories and concepts connect? I’m most proud of that in my work – that the audience has to make their own connections. I’m proud that fans of the show keep coming back to see it, knowing that I am going to give them a mental workout. I am so proud to be able to tell these stories – our stories – especially now, in a time where it’s becoming less uncommon than when I started this journey.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The theatre continues to evolve. We’re currently seeing mainstream theatres take a big hit – shutting down, and scrambling for audiences and funding. I see, and wholeheartedly support, a theatre world that is financially accessible to all, as well as one that is a reflection of the uniqueness of our diverse world. The pandemic has forced us all to take a look at the existing structure and re-evaluate, sort through, and choose a new direction…a more inclusive direction.
I see a creative future fueled by those who want the theatre to return to its roots of story-driven productions rather than being fame and celebrity-driven. I see more players in the game. I see regional theatres taking a long, hard look at their audiences and who they are or are not reaching. It’s past time to tell relatable stories, and to create and introduce new classics; that’s what I enjoy most about the work I do.
I’m constantly reevaluating my words and purpose in order to include my audience in the journey, not alienate them. We’re living in a scary yet exciting time. We’ll be trodding through the mud for a little longer before we get there, but we will get there..then it’ll all go to hell in a handbasket again because that’s how art and creativity work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dionne_lea
Image Credits
Ericka Kreutz Photography
