Theater Mu Names Fran de Leon as Next Artistic Director

Theater Mu has chosen Fran de Leon to be its next artistic director, effective as of June 2 with a full transition into the role by the end of 2025. De Leon will become the fifth artistic director in the theater's 33-year history of producing Great Performances born of arts, equity, and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience. In a continuation of Mu's co-leadership model, de Leon will lead the Midwest's largest Asian American theater company with managing director Anh Thu T. Pham, who has been with Mu since 2020. 

“We are thrilled to have Fran join our Mu community!” says Ruthie Johnson, Theater Mu's board chair. “Her deep experience in all aspects of theater, her commitment to storytelling from a place of justice, and her dedication to developing new Asian American narratives will build strongly on the ways Mu continues to explore the depths of Asian American identity.”

“After an extensive process, the search committee is excited to bring Fran on board,” add Elizabeth Hang and Nonoko Sato in a joint statement. Both are on Mu's board of directors and led the search committee, which also included Mu artist Isabella Dawis, Asian American theater historian and community member Dr. Josephine Lee, associate artist and grant writer Sara Ochs, associate artist Katie Ka Vang, and managing director Pham. “Fran brings a great blend of experience, leadership, and vision, and we look forward to working together to continue Mu's excellence in art and impact in the community.”

As artistic director, de Leon will produce Theater Mu's mainstage productions, as well as oversee artistic-related programming, including play-reading festivals, playwright cohorts, and the Mu Training Institute courses designed for Black, Native, Asian, and Latine artists. To these areas, she brings experience from her times as co-artistic director of the touring theater organization Will & Company, director of new talent for Playfair, an ensemble member of Critical Mass Performance Group, and an adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California's School for Dramatic Arts. 

De Leon started out producing at age 19 and has since worked with companies such as East West Players, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Playmakers' Rep, Artists at Play, Playwrights' Arena, the Garry Marshall Theater, and Pasadena Playhouse, the latter of which she notably directed its 2023 Into the Woods, the opening production of its Regional Theatre Tony Award-winning season. Additional writer/director credits include commissioned work for Segerstrom Center's Arts Teach, TreePeople, and Twelfth Night Rep, as well as short play and short documentary commissions by Center Theatre Group. TV credits include recurring roles on For All Mankind and For the People, as well as guest stars on Criminal Minds, Speechless, and the Michelle Yeoh-led Netflix series The Brothers Sun. 

Recently, she has been named a 2025/26 Drama League FutureNow directing fellow as well as a finalist for the Barbara Whitman Award from Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.

While de Leon has been based in Los Angeles for most of her life, she has toured her one-person show, Faces of America, to over 500 venues across 49 states, including keynote performances for the United Nations Associations, California, and New York. 

De Leon succeeds Lily Tung Crystal in the role of artistic director and co-executive leader. The national leadership search began in 2024 and was led by Evolution Management Consultants (EMC), with EMC co-founder and partner Al Heartley at the helm. Longtime Mu artist Katie Bradley came on as interim artistic director to co-lead with Pham from September 2024 through March 2025, which included programming the 2025/26 season, “Hand in Hand, Step by Step.” Bradley will continue to produce this summer's Stop Kiss and produce the fall world premiere, Maybe You Could Love Me as de Leon moves to Minnesota and completes her transition to the artistic director role.

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