Woodie King Jr.

Woodie King Jr.
King at the 74th Tony Awards in 2021
Born (1937-07-27) July 27, 1937 (age 87)
Baldwin Springs, Alabama, U.S.
Education
Occupation(s)Director, producer

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]

Early life and education

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King was born in Baldwin Springs, Alabama, United States.[2] He graduated high school in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, 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. degree 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]

Credits

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

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1967 Sweet Love, Bitter Performer [3]
1972 Together for Days Jerry [3]
1973 Serpico Larry [3]
1976 The Long Night Steely Director; Film debut [3]
2012 Men in Black 3 MIB HQ Guard [3]
2015 Staten Island Summer Mr. Stewart [3]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1968 N.Y.P.D. Lewis Episode: "Which Side Are You Own?" [3]
1981 Death of a Prophet — Director; Television film [3]
1983 Love to all, Lorraine — Director; Television film [3]
1994 Law & Order Clayton Episode: "Wager" [3]
2009 Law & Order: SVU Parking Attendant Episode: "Perverted" [3]
2011 Treme Performer Episode: "Slip Away" [3]
2014 Unforgettable Barry 2 episodes [3]

Theatre

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Year Title Playwright Venue Ref.
1976 Sizwe Banzi Is Dead Athol Fugard Pittsburgh Public Theater
1989 God's Trombone James Weldon Johnson Ford's Theater
1987 Splendid Mummer Lonne Elder American Place Theatre; Arena Stage
1987–1988 Checkmates Ron Milner Inner City Cultural Center (Los Angeles)
1988 Checkmates Ron Milner 46th Street Theatre, Broadway [4]
1990 Joe Turner's Come and Gone August Wilson Detroit Repertory Theater
1992 The Member of the Wedding Carson McCullers Indiana Repertory Company
1993 Good Black Don't Crack Rob Penny Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn)
1993 Checkmates Ron Milner St Louis Black Repertory Theatre
1994 A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry Alliance Theater (Atlanta, Georgia)
1994 Mudtracks Regina Taylor The Ensemble Studio Theater
1995–1996 Checkmates Ron Milner New Federal Theatre [1]
1995–1996 Eyes Mari Evans American Cabaret Theater, Indiana
1995–1996 Checkmates Ron Milner Bermuda International Theatre Festival
1996–1997 Joe Turner's Come and Gone August Wilson Brooklyn College
1996–1997 Home Samm-Art Williams Center Stage of Baltimore
1998–1999 Angels in America Tony Kushner Ohio State University
2000 James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire Howard Simon New York Shakespeare Festival
2012 The Piano Lesson August Wilson Seminole State College of Florida

Co-produced plays

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Awards and recognition

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Bibliography

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  • 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

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  1. ^ a b c "New Federal Theatre - About Us". New Federal Theater. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Woodie King Jr. Biography". The HistoryMakers. April 18, 2003. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Woodie King Jr. - IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "Checkmates (Broadway, 1988)". Playbill. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Woodie King, Jr. to Retire June 30 as Head of New Federal Theatre". Our Time Press. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  6. ^ "Rosetta LeNoire Award | 2005 – Woodie King, Jr and the New Federal Theatre"". Actors' Equity Association. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  7. ^ Gans, Andrew; Michael Gioia (January 30, 2012). "Tyne Daly, Ben Vereen, Ann Roth, Daniel Sullivan and More Inducted into Theater Hall of Fame 30 Jan". playbill.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "Black theatrical trailblazers Woodie King Jr. and Irene Gandy among recipients of honorary Tony Awards for excellence". New York Daily News. August 4, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
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