Leonard Cabell Pronko: An Appreciation

This summary and updating of the life and career of kabuki scholar and teacher Leonard Cabell Pronko (1927–2019) is also a personal snapshot of an extraordinary human being. It should be read in conjunction with the more comprehensive review of his contributions to Japanese theatre studies that appears in Asian Theatre Journal's "Founders of the Field" series (28:2, Fall 2011). The current article emphasizes Pronko's biography and how he came to Japanese theatre from a background in Romance languages. It discusses his key interests and points out some of the ways he influenced and aided my own career as an example of his abiding concern for current and former students. It also includes intriguing remarks from an unpublished interview with Jonah Salz (2016). I am grateful to Jonah Salz for permission to use this material.