Woodie King Jr. | |
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 King at the 74th Tony Awards in 2021 | |
| Born | July 27, 1937 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]
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]
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 |
August Wilson was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century. Plays in the series include Fences (1987) and The Piano Lesson (1990), both of which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988). In 2006, Wilson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
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