Lenora Champagne

Lenora Champagne (born 1951) is an American playwright and performing artist.

Early years Champagne was born in Opelousas, Louisiana, in 1951 to bilingual parents. Her father was a farmer and ran a general store in Port Barre, Louisiana, where she grew up. She studied literature and visual art at Louisiana State University, where she was involved in the antiwar and women's movements. After receiving her BA in English in 1972, she moved to New York City at age 20, where she painted. While working as a secretary at the New York University Law School, she enrolled in graduate school and began writing about experimental theater.

Career After observing Théâtre du Soleil and other political theater companies in France in 1974, she started creating performance pieces and directing. Her early works were "talking dances." She completed a PhD in Performance Studies in 1980.