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Denise Lee learned long ago that, 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 stand for something, you鈥檙e apt to fall for anything.鈥� It has powered her work as an activist and as a heterosexual woman who has stood for decades with the LGBTQ community, which recently honored her with a major award.
Being an 鈥渦pstander鈥� has defined her work as an actor and her life as a mom, whose daughters include one now touring with a Broadway production and another whose literary and academic success has earned her an advanced degree from Harvard University.
So, perhaps there was no better actor than Lee to inhabit the role of Wiletta Mayer, who in the new production of "Trouble in Mind" now playing at Dallas Theater Center, reaches a point of no return. She all but explodes on stage, having reached her limit as a Black actor.
She is done 鈥� with stereotypes that prevail over truth, with having to deal with the toxic effects of racism, whether they exist in the shadows or as a slap on the face.
Wiletta is mad as hell, and she鈥檚 not gonna take it anymore.
Now 61, Lee calls the role 鈥渢he most important one that I think I鈥檝e done 鈥� ever. Because I know this woman. I am this woman. I am this actor, who is still fighting for roles and respect in a country and a world that doesn鈥檛 see me. It鈥檚 not like it鈥檚 open to me completely. And I still see myself fighting for the pay I should get.鈥�
Lee is perfectly cast as a seasoned thespian who is tired of falling for anything, who puts her career on the line to finally stand for something, if only to redeem her soul.
And who knows, perhaps that redemption is now playing out in real life. In the span of a few months, there appears to be a reward 鈥� a well-deserved salute 鈥� for standing up and speaking out.
Lee, as they say, is on a major roll.
In addition to receiving the Dale Hansen Ally Award from Dallas鈥� Black Tie Dinner charity in September, for her work in the LGBTQ community, she is keeping the printers of theatrical programs busier than they鈥檝e ever been. In 2022 alone, she has racked up voluminous credits.
In April, she starred in the one-woman show "Pressure Makes Diamonds" at Circle Theatre in Fort Worth. Lee co-wrote the show, which is filled with songs performed lustily with a band that makes it a night of memorable cabaret.
In less than a year, she has performed in concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center; in "Broadway Our Way" at Uptown Players; at Dallas Children鈥檚 Theater; at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth; and in Tulsa, Okla., in memory of the victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which as The New York Times has reported, 鈥渒illed hundreds of residents, burned more than 1,250 homes and erased years of Black success.鈥�
And now, she鈥檚 the wounded heart and tortured soul of "Trouble in Mind," which runs through Oct. 30 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. It is a play set in New York in 1957, but oh so relevant today, with eerie parallels to the 21st century.
But that鈥檚 not all.
In July, Lee drew a prolonged standing ovation at Carnegie Hall 鈥� yes, Carnegie Hall 鈥� by performing as a soloist with Dallas鈥� Turtle Creek Chorale.
In other words, 2022 is Denise Lee鈥檚 world. She鈥檚 only letting us live in it.
Building a life
When she isn鈥檛 starring as a stage actor telling her own life story in a sassy confessional, she has scored 38 credits as a film and television actor, which helps pay the bills. She also has a calendar full of voiceover and 鈥渋ndustrial鈥� work.
Born in St. Louis, Lee lost her father when she was 8. He was robbed at gunpoint and killed. She and her suddenly single mom 鈥� pregnant with a son when her husband lost his life 鈥� left for Dallas three years later. Lee also has a younger sister, 鈥渨ho comes to anything and everything I do.鈥�
Newly arrived in Dallas, she attended grade school at Booker T. Washington before it added an arts magnet component and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1979.
鈥淚鈥檓 a big believer in faith and that everything happens for a reason,鈥� she says, noting that she chose to stay in Dallas and not escape to New York or Hollywood, as some might have expected.
鈥淚 think I was too na茂ve. Had I gone to New York, I think I might have been eaten alive. Burned out. I just think that everything that has happened has led me down the path I鈥檓 on now 鈥� in Dallas 鈥� including my activism. My artistry, I believe, prepared me for activism.鈥�
Among Lee鈥檚 earliest gigs was performing as a regular at Bill鈥檚 Hideaway, a Dallas gay bar that closed in 2009 after a 26-year run. Her Hideaway experience gave birth to wanting to protect those in the LGBTQ community.
鈥淚 have had people say, 鈥榊ou should just sing. Don鈥檛 get involved in politics. Don鈥檛 get involved in activism.鈥� But I pay taxes too, so why not? Why should I not have a voice?鈥�
Terry D. Loftis, the president and executive director of The Arts Community Alliance, or TACA, met Lee years ago at Bill鈥檚 Hideaway.
And because she鈥檚 a friend, he was there on opening night at the Kalita, where, he says, 鈥淭here were times I said to myself, 鈥榊eah, she鈥檚 playing a character, but to make those points most powerfully, she is infusing 鈥� going to a place where she has direct experience in such situations.鈥� Which made that performance so much more powerful for me, as someone who knows her and has worked with her.鈥�
Lee is, Loftis says, 鈥渁uthentic. What you see is what you get. She does not suffer fools. She is one of the most genuine people I鈥檝e ever met, and that genuineness and her ability to be an authentic human being, not only is exampled in her life but also to those who call her a friend.鈥�
Loftis is among those who is happy Lee has chosen to remain Dallas, although he is not alone in believing that she could easily 鈥渕ake it鈥� in New York or Hollywood.
Lee says she鈥檚 happy she chose to stay, which doesn鈥檛 mean she isn鈥檛 concerned about money. Often.
鈥淚t takes a lot to do this for a living as a sole means of support 鈥� in Dallas. It has been tough sometimes. There are so many talented artists in our city. But half of us can鈥檛 afford to buy tickets to see each other at theaters. I love working at the Theater Center, but that鈥檚 not a living wage. I couldn鈥檛 live off what I鈥檓 being paid to do this show. And it鈥檚 the best-paying gig in town!鈥�
And then at that moment, as it often does, humor invades Lee鈥檚 spirit.
鈥淪o,鈥� she says, 鈥淚f there鈥檚 a guy out there with a really good benefits program, hey, man, bring him on.鈥�
Catch Denise Lee in Dallas Theater Center鈥檚 Trouble in Mind through Sunday, Oct. 30. You can also purchase a ticket for a digital recording of the show for $15, which will be streamable Nov. 2 to Nov. 13.
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