Woodie King Jr., Founder of New Federal Theatre, Dies at 88

Woodie King Jr., founder of New Federal Theatre and a prolific producer and director for over five decades, died on January 29 at the age of 88, following emergency heart surgery.

Born in Bladon Springs, Alabama, he began his career as an arc welder at the Ford Motor Company, before working for the city of Detroit as a draftsman. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Lehman College in New York City, an an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College. In 1965, King joined Mobilization for Youth, where he spent the next five years as cultural director.

King founded New Federal Theatre in 1970, aiming to give voice to Black playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and young people. Its mission was “to integrate artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theater by training artists for the profession and by presenting plays by writers of color and women to integrated, multicultural audiences.”

To date, New Federal Theatre has produced over 450 plays, including works by the likes of Ntozake Shange, Amiri Baraka, Leslie Lee, David Henry Hwang, Ron Milner, and countless others. Among the now-famous actors who got early career opportunities with the company are Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne, Leslie Uggams, S. Epatha Merkerson, Garrett Morris, Glynn Turman, Phylicia Rashad, Robert Downey Jr., Ruby Dee, and Chadwick Boseman.

New Federal Theatre received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre in 2020, the same year that the Off-Broadway Alliance named KIng a “Legend of Off-Broadway.” In 2012, King was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

King’s survivors include his three children and five grandchildren. His company will continue to be known as Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre.