Featured photo: Woodie King Jr
Woodie King Jr., distinguished stage producer and director, has dedicated his life to the
illumination of Black theatre in every corner and crevice of this country and beyond. As the
founder and artistic director of New York’s New Federal Theatre, King has produced, directed,
or otherwise participated in hundreds of plays and musicals shedding light on the cultural and
historical experiences of African Americans in this country. On August 27, he will bring his
wealth of knowledge in theatre to share with the Flint community.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 27, King will conduct a workshop for aspiring actors and others interested in theatre at the New McCree Theatre, 4601 Clio Road, in Flint. Later that evening, at 6 p.m., King will be the keynote speaker for the New McCree Theatre’s fundraising event, Summer Soiree: Act 1, at the Sloan Museum of Discovery. Tickets to the gala are $100. Proceeds will benefit McCree Theatre’s children’s and youth programs.
King has directed plays both on and off Broadway. He has traveled throughout the United States lending his expertise to various theatre venues, including the Cincinnati Playhouse, the Cleveland Playhouse, Center Stage of Baltimore, the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, the Inner-City Cultural Center in Los Angeles and the New York Shakespearean Festival. His long list of credits include August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Piano Lesson; Ron Milner’s Checkmates; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, and Samm-Art Williams’ Home.
King’s work has earned him many honors, accolades and awards over the years, including a 1988 NAACP Image Award for his direction of Checkmates, and two 1993 Audelco Awards for Best Director and Best Play for his production of Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil; he also received an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement that same year. In 2021, he received a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre, and in July of this year, he was honored with a bust of his likeness by Mayor Michael Duggan to remain on display in perpetuity in Detroit’s Charles A. Wright Museum.
The workshop is free and open to the public.
For information about either event, call the theatre at (810) 787-2200.
