Denise Lee Onstage

Denise Lee is an award-winning actress, singer, cabaret artist, producer, educator, and nonprofit leader whose career has spanned nearly four decades. Based in Dallas, Texas, she has built a reputation as one of North Texas's most respected performing artists while using the arts as a catalyst for conversation, connection, and community change.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Denise began her professional performing career in 1986 with the production Po' at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Since then, she has appeared in leading roles across the theatrical spectrum, including Marie & Rosetta, Trouble in Mind, The Glass Menagerie, Ruined, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, Mamma Mia!, Crowns, Once on This Island, and many others.

A passionate advocate for the art form of cabaret, Denise is the founder and Executive Producer of the Denise Lee Onstage Cabaret Series and the Dallas Cabaret Festival. Through these initiatives, she has created opportunities for artists, introduced new audiences to cabaret, and used music and storytelling to explore meaningful social themes. She has written and performed several original cabaret productions, including Pressure Makes Diamonds, Too Old, Too Fat, Too Black: Songs I'll Never Sing on Broadway, and Divas of American Music.

Her performance career has taken her from regional stages to national and international venues. Denise has appeared at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage as a member of the Turtle Creek Chorale and performed at Lincoln Center in productions presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) under the direction of Dr. Timothy Seelig. She has also delighted audiences in Shanghai and Beijing, China, as well as in France and Switzerland.

Denise's first play, Funny, You Don't Act Like a Negro, received its world premiere at the historic Theatre Three in 2020.

Her commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice led her to establish Visions For Change, Inc., a nonprofit organization where she serves as Founder and Executive Director. Through arts-based programming, facilitated dialogue, and community engagement initiatives, Visions For Change works to build bridges across lines of difference and create spaces where every voice matters. Denise often describes herself as an "Artivist," believing that art has the power not only to entertain, but also to educate, heal, and inspire meaningful change.

For her work in the arts and community, Denise has received numerous honors, including the Sammons Center for the Arts' inaugural Cabaret Artist of the Year Award, multiple Leon Rabin Awards, multiple Dallas Voice Readers Voice Awards, the Broadway Dallas Fullenwider Award, the Irma P. Hall Award for Theatrical Excellence, the Rudy Eastman Diversity Award, the Hero of Hope Award, the Dale Hansen Ally of the Year Award, the Texas Speech Communication Association Communicator of the Year Award, and a Special Citation from the DFW Theater Critics Forum.

In addition to her artistic and nonprofit leadership, Denise serves on the Board of Directors of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Advisory Board of the Duncanville Arts Foundation. She previously served as Board Chair and board member of the Dallas Street Choir and has served as Social Justice Strategist for Dallas Children's Theater.

Denise is the proud mother of two accomplished daughters: Broadway performer Traci Elaine Lee and author, educator, and professor Dr. Janelle N. Gray.

Whether on stage, in the classroom, or around a community conversation table, Denise remains committed to using storytelling, music, and dialogue to create deeper understanding and stronger communities.