Filmmaker Juney Smith’s documentary focuses on Woodie King Jr., a prominent figure in modern American theater who is unknown to most. Born in Alabama in 1937, King moved to Detroit in his teen years and got a job with the Ford Motor Company as an arc welder after graduating from high school. He later worked for the city as a draftsman, but his involvement in a local cultural nonprofit group for youth steered him into a career in the arts. Relocating to New York City, King founded the New Federal Theatre and National Black Touring Circuit in 1970, with the goal of creating theatrical opportunities for African American talent. Over the years, he launched more than 200 productions, most notably the groundbreaking 1976 Broadway presentation of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf. While primarily a presence in off-Broadway and regional theater rather than the showy Broadway environment, King’s indefatigable spirit and love of live performance helped define the African American artistic experience for a generation, with then-unknowns including Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Chadwick Boseman among the many performers whose early careers were shaped by King’s work. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
King of Stage: The Woodie King Jr. Story
(2018) 98 min. DVD: $19.99. Rainbow Media Group (avail. from www.kingofstage.info).
King of Stage: The Woodie King Jr. Story
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