Lee Summers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee Summers
Born	Leon Summers, Jr. 1958 Nashville, Tennessee
Education	Tennessee State University (BA) New York University - Tisch (MFA)
Occupation	Performer, Librettist, Composer and producer
Known for	Off-Broadway musical From My Hometown

Lee Summers (born 1958) is an American actor, singer, and director. He is also a writer who creates stories and music for plays. He is well known for making and producing the Off-Broadway musical From My Hometown.

Lee Summers has won awards for his directing. He won the Audelco Award for 'Best Director of a Musical' in both 2018 and 2022. As an actor, he first performed on Broadway in the original show Dreamgirls. His own show, Winds of Change, won him a "Best Entertainer" Bistro Award in 2010. He has also acted in many TV shows and movies. These include Malcolm X, Law & Order, Boardwalk Empire, and Blue Bloods.

Early Life and Career

Lee Summers was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His first job was performing on a showboat at Opryland USA. This was while he was studying at Tennessee State University. He left college early to tour as the singer for "Porgy" in Gershwin's famous opera, Porgy and Bess.

After his tour, Summers moved to New York City in 1980. There, he met choreographer Michael Peters. This meeting led to his first performance on Broadway in Dreamgirls. Years later, he performed in the Dreamgirls 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert. He shared the stage with famous actors like Lillias White and Billy Porter. He also performed at Carnegie Hall, a very famous concert venue.

In 1986, after performing in Monte Carlo, Summers returned to Indiana. He started working on a one-person show. During this time, he faced a difficult challenge. This experience helped him discover his talent for writing for the stage. It led him to create From My Hometown, which became a popular Off-Broadway show.

Lee Summers joined the Dramatists Guild of America, a group for playwrights. His plays have been shown in many theaters. These include Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters. He worked with Kevin Ramsey on a tap-dance musical called If These Shoes Could Talk. This show later became "I Remember Harlem." It featured the legendary tap dancer Harold Nicholas. For this work, Summers and Ramsey received The New Professional Theatre Award.

Summers' works have been performed at many other places. These include The Arkansas Repertory Theatre and The Kennedy Center.

One of his important projects is Ella, First Lady of Song. Lee Summers wrote the story and directs this musical. It is about the famous singer Ella Fitzgerald. The show first opened in 2004. In 2022, a production of Ella, First Lady of Song won five AUDELCO awards. In 2023, the Crossroads Theatre celebrated 20 years of this musical. The show helped the Crossroads Theatre reopen after it had closed.

Lee Summers also created a musical called The Funkentine Rapture. It was chosen for a big festival for new musicals in 2005. It was later performed in concert at 54 Below. Famous actors like James Monroe Iglehart and Lillias White starred in it.

In 2003, Summers became a producer for the first time. He helped produce From My Hometown. The show later moved to the Gramercy Theatre in 2004.

As a director, Summers won a BroadwayWorld award in 2022. This was for directing Hair: The Tribal Love-Rock Musical. He has directed shows at many theaters. These include Urban Stages and New World Stages. He also directed Acappella The Musical for the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Summers studied theater at Tennessee State University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Empire State College. He also has a Master of Fine Arts degree in musical theater writing from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts. He has taught at New York University since 2020.

His Work

Stage Director (Recent)

• 2023 Ella, First Lady of Song (Director)
• 2022 Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (Director)
• 2022 Ella, First Lady of Song (Director)
• 2018 On Kentucky Avenue (Director)

Librettist (Story Writer)

• 1993 If These Shoes Could Talk(Co-librettist)
• 1998 From My Hometown (Co-librettist)
• 1999 Yo Alice(Librettist)
• 2004 Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song(Librettist)
• 2005 The Funkentine Rapture(Co-librettist)
• 2013 The System (Librettist)
• 2014 Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song(Librettist)
• 2018 Pangaea The Musical (Librettist)
• 2018 Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song (Librettist)
• 2022 Ella Fitzgerald (Librettist)

Lyricist (Song Writer)

• 1993 If These Shoes Could Talk (Co-lyricist)
• 1998 From My Hometown (Co-lyricist) (Lyricist)
• 1999 Yo Alice(Co-lyricist)
• 2005 The Funkentine Rapture (Lyricist)
• 2010 Winds of Change (Co-lyricist) (Lyricist)
• 2013 The System(Co-lyricist) (Lyricist)
• 2016 Bayard The Musical (Lyricist)
• 2018 Pangaea The Musical (Lyricist)

Composer (Music Writer)

• 1993 If These Shoes Could Talk(Co-Composer)
• 1998 From My Hometown (Co-Composer)
• 1999 Yo Alice (Co-Composer)
• 2005 The Funkentine Rapture (Composer)
• 2010 Winds of Change (Composer)
• 2013 The System(Composer)
• 2016 Bayard The Musical (Composer)

Playwright (Play Writer)

• 2016 Poetics Justice(Author) (Published)
• 2013 One Shot Deal(Author) (Published)

Producer

• 2003 From My Hometown (Kirk Theatre, New York City)
• 2004 From My Hometown (Gramercy Theatre, New York City)
• 2010 Winds of Change (Triad Theatre)

Television and Film Actor

• 1992 Malcolm X ...Elijah Muhammad's FOI
• 1994 Law and Order (TV Series)- Coma (1994) ... Dr. David Monroe
• 1996 Law and Order (TV Series)- Causa Mortis (1996) ... Belmont Uniform Policeman
• 1997 New York Undercover (TV Series)- Fade Out (1997) ... Walter Stokes
• 2003 The Presidents (PBS Video)Colin Powell / Secret Service Man
• 2011 Boardwalk Empire (TV Series) – Battle of the Century (2011) ... Otis
• 2013 Blue Bloods (TV Series) – The City That Never Sleeps (2013) ... Sgt. Stiles

Stage Actor and Singer

• 1981 Dreamgirls (Original Broadway Production)
• 2001 Dreamgirls 20th Anniversary(Broadway Event)
• 2001 Little Ham(Off-Broadway)
• 2010 Winds of Change(Cabaret – Bistro Award Winner)

Awards and Honors

Lee Summers' work has received many awards and honors. These include The New Professional Theatre's "Our Voices Award" in 1996. His shows have also received eight AUDELCO Award nominations. The Funkentine Rapture was chosen for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival in 2005. He also received a commendation from the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation in 2003.

• 2010 Bistro Award winner for 'Outstanding Achievement, Entertainer'
• 2018 Audelco Award Winner for 'Best Director of a Musical,' for "On Kentucky Avenue"
• 2018 Audelco Award Nomination for 'Best Featured Actor in a Musical,' for "On Kentucky Avenue"
• 2022 Audelco Award Winner for 'Best Director of a Musical,' for "Ella, First Lady of Song"
• 2022 Broadway World Award Winner for 'Best Director of a Musical,' for "Hair"