Mechele Leon

- Interim Director of Jewish Studies Program
- Professor of Theatre
- Theatre History, French Theatre, Acting & Directing
- She/her
Contact Info
Personal Links
Biography —
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) and as Artistic Director of the University Theatre (2009-2012). Her current research focuses on performance and tourism, with specific interest in Jewish heritage tourism and representations of genealogy. Working for more than two decades on the cultural history of French theatre, her publications include A Cultural History of Theatre in the Enlightenment (Bloomsbury Press, 2017) and Molière, the French Revolution, and the Theatrical Afterlife (University of Iowa, 2009), which received the Barnard Hewitt Award for Outstanding Research in Theatre History. 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 and was former co-convener of the Historiography section of the International Federation of Theatre Research. She has translated and directed several of Molière’s plays and directs plays in the European and American tradition. She wrote and performed the solo theatre piece "Bladder Interrupted: A Self-Story About Cancer" which aligns research interests around illness and narrative. 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 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.
Teaching —
Teaching interests:
- Theatre History
- Directing
- Acting
- Public Speaking
Selected Publications —
Davis, T., Henke, R., Enders, J., Leon, M. (2017). A Cultural History of Theatre: Methuen Drama. [9781472585844].
Leon, M. (2017). The Environment of Theatre: Power, Resistance and Commerce. A Cultural History of Theatre. (pp. 77-96). Methuen Drama. [9781472585844].
Leon, M. (2017). "Les Précieuses Ridicules" by Molière. The Literary Encyclopedia. Vol. 1.5.2.03: French Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century: Classical and Baroque, 1600-1700.. [1747-678X].
Leon, M. (2015). Review of the book Controversy in French Drama: Molière's Tartuffe and the Struggle for Influence by Julia Prest. Ecumenica - Issue Fall 2015 | Volume 8:2.
Leon, M., Vatain-Corfdir, J. (2015). “Before Jacques Copeau: Le Théâtre Français d’Amérique of New York, 1913-1917”. J. Vatain-Corfdir (Eds.). La scène en version originale. (pp. 115-126). Presses de l'université de Paris-Sorbonne.
Leon, M. (2013). Molière on Stage: What's So Funny? by Robert W. Goldsby (review). Comparative Drama - Issue 2 | Volume 47. https://doi.org/10.1353/CDR.2013.0016.
Leon, M. (2013). Review of the book Staging the French Revolution: Cultural Politics and the Paris Opera, 17891794 by Mark Darlow. French Studies - Issue October 2013 | Volume 67:4.
Leon, M. (2010). History as Fiasco. Theater Historiography. (pp. 177-185). Univ of Michigan Pr. [9780472071333].
Leon, M. (2009). Moliere, the French Revolution, and the Theatrical Afterlife. Univ of Iowa Pr. [9781587298219].
Leon, M. (2000). Molière and the Revolution: A Tale of Three 'Dandins'. European Studies Journal - Volume XVII-XVIII.
Selected Presentations —
Is 'Culture' Still a Useful Category? - Theatre Historiography Today: Symposium. Location: London, England UK. (1-31-2018).
Cancer, Storytelling, and the Narrative Body - American Society for Theatre Research. Location: Atlanta, GA. (11-30-2017).
Radical Adaptation: Moliere's Impromptu at Versailles - International Federation for Theatre Research. Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil. (7-31-2017).
Theatre and Environment in the Enlightenment - International Federation for Theatre Research. Location: Hyderabad, India. (7-31-2015).
Creating the Canon of French Theatre in the United States. - International Federation for Theatre Research. Location: Warwick, U.K. (7-31-2014).
Real French: Cultural Authenticity and the Théâtre Français d’Amérique - International Federation for Theatre Research. Location: Barcelona, Spain. (7-31-2013).
Avant Copeau: Le Théâtre français à New York, 1913-1917. - V.O. La Scène en Version Originale. Location: Institute for Theatre Studies, Maison de la Recherche, Paris. (10-11-2012).
French Theatre in New York - Conseil International d'Etudes Francophones. Location: Thessaloniki, Greece. (6-30-2012).
Interview, L.A. Theatreworks for radio production of Molière’s The Bungler. NPR and CD. (1-31-2011).
La Langue du théâtre: French Theatre Vocabulary and Translatability - Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Location: Denver, CO. (7-31-2008).
Creative Works —
As You Like It, William Shakespeare, directed and sound designed by Mechele Leon. University of Kansas University Theatre (February 2020).
Spring Awakening: The Musical, Sater and Shiek, directed by Mechele Leon. University of Kansas University Theatre (Apr. 2018).
Bladder Interrupted: A Self-Story About Cancer, written and performed by Mechele Leon. Various venues, 2016-2017.
The Rehearsal & The Hypochondriac, Moliere, adapted from the French and directed by Mechele Leon. University of Kansas University Theatre (Feb. 2016).
Adding Machine: A Musical, Loewith & Schmidt, Elmer Rice, directed by Mechele Leon. University of Kansas University Theatre (Nov. 2013).
Man Equals Man, Bertolt Brecht, adapted and directed by Mechele Leon. University of Kansas University Theatre (Apr. 2011).
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
International Affairs Office, Univ. of Kansas, Summer Humanities Grant, 2023.
Open Education Resource Grant, Univ. of Kansas, 2020-2023.
Hall Center for the Humanities, Univ. of Kansas, Faculty Research Fellow, Spring 2019.
National Endowment for the Humanities, Research Fellowship, 2005–2006.