Woodie King Jr.

Woodie King Jr. (born July 27, 1937) is an American director and producer of stage and screen, as well as the founding director of the New Federal Theatre in New York City.[1]

Woodie King Jr.
King at the 74th Tony Awards in 2021
Born (1937-07-27) July 27, 1937
Baldwin Springs, Alabama, U.S.
Education
Occupation(s)Director, producer

Early life and education

King was born in Baldwin Springs, Alabama.[2] He graduated high school in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, United States, and worked at the Ford Motor Company there for three years. He then worked for the City of Detroit as a draftsman.

In 1970, he founded the New Federal Theatre.[1] He earned a B.A. in Self-Determined Studies, with a focus on Theatre and Black Studies, at Lehman College in 1996, and an M.F.A. at Brooklyn College in 1999.[2]

Film and stage direction

King has a long list of credits in film and stage direction and production, including the following:

Stage Play Year
Alliance Theater (Atlanta, Georgia) A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 1994
American Cabaret Theater (Indianapolis,Indiana) Eyes (based on Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes were Watching God) by Mari Evans 1995–1996
American Place Theatre Splendid Mummer 1987
Arena Stage
Bermuda International Theatre Festival Checkmates by Ron Milner 1995–1996
Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn) Good Black Don't Crack 1993
Broadway (New York) Checkmates 1988
Brooklyn College Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson 1996–1997
Home by Samm-Art Williams 1996–1997
Center Stage of Baltimore
Cincinnati Playhouse
Cleveland Play House
Crossroads Theatre Company (New Brunswick, New Jersey) And The World Laughs With You 1994
Ali 1998–1999
Detroit Repertory Theater Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson 1990
The Ensemble Studio Theater Mudtracks by Regina Taylor 1994
Ford's Theater God's Trombone 1990
GeVa Theatre A Raisin in the Sun 1991
The Member of the Wedding 1992
Indiana Repertory Company
Inner City Cultural Center (Los Angeles) Checkmates 1987–1988
Jomandi Theatre
New Federal Theatre [1] Checkmates 1995–1996
James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire by Howard Simon 2000
New York Shakespeare Festival
Northlight Theatre
Ohio State University Angels in America 1998–1999
Pittsburgh Public Theater Sizwe Banzi Is Dead 1976
SUNY Purchase
St Louis Black Repertory Theatre Checkmates 1993
Stage West
Studio Arena in Buffalo
Virginia Museum Theatre
Seminole State College of Florida The Piano Lesson by August Wilson 2012

Co-produced plays

Awards and recognition

Works

  • Woodie King; Earl Anthony (1972). Black Poets and Prophets: The Theory, Practice, and Esthetics of the Pan-Africanist Revolution. New York: New American Library.
  • Woodie King (1981). The Forerunners: Black Poets in America. Washington, D.C: Howard University Press. ISBN 0-88258-093-0.
  • Woodie King (1981). Black Theatre: Present Condition. New York: National Black Theatre Touring Circuit. ISBN 0-89062-133-0.
  • Ron Milner; Woodie King (1986). Black Drama Anthology. New York: New American Library. ISBN 0-452-00902-2.
  • Woodie King (1989). New Plays for the Black Theatre. Chicago: Third World Press. ISBN 0-88378-124-7.
  • Woodie King (1996). The National Black Drama Anthology: Eleven Plays from America's Leading African-American Theaters. Applause Theatre & Cinema Book Publishers. ISBN 1-55783-219-6.
  • Woodie King Jr (2000). Voices of Color: 50 Scenes and Monologues by African American Playwrights (Applause Acting Series). New York: Applause Books. ISBN 1-55783-174-2.
  • Woodie King Jr (2004). The Impact of Race. New York: Applause Books. ISBN 1-55783-579-9.
  • Chuck Smith; Woodie King; Leslie Lee; Mark Clayton Southers; Kim Euell; Lisa Ebright (2007). Best Black Plays: the Theodore Ward Prize for African American Playwriting. Evanston, Ill: Northwestern University Press. ISBN 978-0-8101-2390-8.

References

  1. "New Federal Theatre - About Us". New Federal Theater. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  2. "Woodie King Jr. Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  3. "Tyne Daly, Ben Vereen, Ann Roth, Daniel Sullivan and More Inducted into Theater Hall of Fame 30 Jan". playbill.com. January 30, 2012.
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