First there was Sound of Music. Then Peter Pan. And now NBC is establishing itself as the network for live television musicals with its next production, The Wiz. The show – a re-imagining of he Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast – will debut in December, but its director has already been selected and he has strong Georgia ties.

Atlanta native Kenny Leon champions works by African American playwrights through his True Colors Theatre Company. He also served as Artistic Director of Atlanta's Alliance Theatre for 11 years. Leon won a Tony for his 2014 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, starring Denzel Washington.

Kenny Leon speaks with On Second ThoughtCeleste Headlee about simultaneously producing for stage and television for a live event that’s sure to draw millions of curious viewers, along with a new generation of kids who’ll want to “ease on down the road.”

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Tags: On Second Thought, Kenny Leon, The Wiz