Woodie King News

The life and legacy of Woodie King Jr. (1937–2026) will be honored at a special tribute at the Shubert Organization’s Barrymore Theatre.

Producer, director, and New Federal Theatre founder Woodie King Jr. passed away at 88 on January 29 following complications from emergency heart surgery.

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is celebrating its fifth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings. Up next is How in the World to Get Noticed: PR Strategies from the NY Festival Scene to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director Elizabeth Van Dyke, will bring back Kelundra Smith’s The Wash for a return engagement this fall. Directed by Awoye Timpo.

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is August 18, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

Patricia White, the long-time company manager of Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre (NFT) and a well-known figure in Black Theatre, died. She had been hospitalized briefly and released for physical therapy to a nursing home, where she passed. 

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) has announced the release of 65 for the 65th, a celebratory publication honoring 65 directors and choreographers whose work has transformed the American theatre.

Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre will present the New York premiere of The Wash May 30 to June 29 at WP Theatre. 'The Wash' by Kelundra Smith offers an intimate and often funny portrait at the ordinary women who initiated and led the strike.

The North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NC Black Rep) will partner with Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre on the rolling world premiere of Eljon Wardally's Blooming in Dry Season, winner of the 2024 International Black Theatre Festival (IBTF) Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award.

The North Carolina Black Repertory Company will partner with Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre on the rolling world premiere of Eljon Wardally's Blooming in Dry Season. Learn more!

The historic Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre has announced the launch of its Solo Performance Collective (SPC), a new initiative designed to support emerging artists in the exploration of solo performance work.

Theater Resources Unlimited will present a return of their live bi-monthly Town Hall discussions with Now You See It, Now You Don't: The Disempowerment of D.E.I.A. Learn more and see how to take part.

Renee Flemings will celebrate the life, art and victories of Harlem Renaissance-era sculptor, activist and arts educator Augusta Savage, in her solo performance piece, “Augusta!” at WP Theater. Learn more about the production.

The historic Woody King Jr. New Federal Theatre will host the Ancestral Voices Solo Festival to kick off the new year. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets to the festival!

Stars came out for the opening of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon, on Thursday, October 10 at the Barrymore Theatre. Check out photos of Nina Dobrev, Shaun White, Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Kors, Raul Esparza, Cynthia Nixon and more as they arrive on the red carpet here!

Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater will present the World Premiere of LIBERTY TALKS: A Colossal Satire by Provincetown playwright Fermin Rojas, directed by Janice L. Goldberg.

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of SATCHEL PAIGE AND THE KANSAS CITY SWING on September 9.

New Federal Theatre will present The World According to Micki Grant. Learn more about the show and see how to purchase tickets.

Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre (NFT) has relocated and is now in residence at The WP (formerly Women's Project) Theater, with performance space located at 2162 Broadway @ 76th Street and administrative offices at 55 West End Ave. Floor 1, Unit 2, NYC 10023. 

Mellon Foundation has awarded five hundred thousand dollars to Blackboard Plays Founder, Garlia Cornelia Jones, and Obsidian Theater Festival Producing Artistic Director John Sloan III in support of the Propulsion Theatre Project (PTP), a partnership project dedicated to creating work that amplifies the ecosystem of theater in Detroit.