By Dr. Brenda M. Greene
The Woodie King Jr. Memorial Tribute at the Barrymore Theater on Monday, April 27, was an event that will be cherished and remembered in the theatrical, literary, and performance arts community.
On the stage of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, with an image of a smiling Woodie King Jr. in the background, the program opened with a stirring tribute to the “King” by Debbie Allen. This was followed by tributes from luminary actors, playwrights, producers, directors, and writers who included Kenny Leon, Pauletta Washington, Kelundra Smith, Ron Himes, S. Epatha Merkerson, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Denzel Washington, among others.
The message from all of the speakers was resounding: Woodie King Jr. touched the lives of numerous people and had a generous and selfless spirit.
There were many highlights in the program. Here are a few:
∙Denzel Washington shouted “Hallelujah, Hallelujah” when he came on stage and said that Woodie was responsible for catapulting his acting career and was probably casting from Heaven.
∙Ruben Santiago-Hudson read a poem, “For Woodie: the King.” Woodie told him that if he wanted to make it in acting, he would have to leave Detroit and come to New York.
∙When Elizabeth Van Dyke, Woodie’s wife, came to the stage, she received a standing ovation. With stirring emotion, she recounted how Woodie had her heart and that she was committed to sustaining his legacy at 154 Christopher Street, the future site of the New Federal Theatre.
Attendees also expressed their admiration:
∙ “Woodie loved everybody and was in the business of setting the foundation for great Black theater professionals. He paid no attention to the word “No.”
-Diane Richards, Executive Director, The Harlem Writers Guild
Woodie flew from New York to California and returned right after seeing my performance. He just wanted to see my performance for himself.
-Levy Lee Simon, Playwright and Actor
Actor, Producer, and Jazz Vocalist Rome Neale, continued the public celebration with Jazzy Thespians Night, a public celebration of Woodie King Jr, as part of his acclaimed Banana Puddin’ Jazz series. In the words of Rome, “Woodie was not simply a King; he was a mansa, a king of kings, an emperor of a Black theatre dynasty.”
Let us remember Woodie King Jr., who charged us with nurturing and sustaining the beloved Black community through theater.