“Wow!” He always said, “Wow!” 

And now I do too.

I clearly hear his voice, see that sparkle in his eyes, “Hey, man. How you doin’?” I would tell him, and he would say, “Wow, let’s talk.” And we did so many, many times. Woodie was my colleague, my advocate, my employer, my mentor, and my dear friend. He provided safe spaces for all of us to create, to experiment, to fail, to get up and try again, and ultimately to become more than we dreamt we could be as artists. Wow!

In 1971, when I was between audition appointments (I used to act, dance, and sing), I dropped by the Theatre de Lys to see my cousin, Horacena J. Taylor, who was stage managing Black Girl by J.e. Franklin. Shauneille Perry directed and Woodie King was the producer. The company had just gone to lunch. After lunch, Woodie returned to the New Federal Theatre offices. I missed meeting him by minutes. Fortunately, the very closely intertwined theatre family that was developing around me provided a second opportunity. At the Negro Ensemble Company’s opening night of The Sty of the Blind Pig (Shauneille directed, Horacena was the stage manager, and I was the production assistant—my first job at the NEC), Woodie and I were introduced. I remember him greeting me with such a warm smile and firm handshake. I was impressed that he knew everyone in the company, and the crew and administrative staff and everyone knew him as well. That was our beginning. Wow!

Woodie provided me very much needed financial stability very early in my career by hiring me to stage manage productions at New Federal Theatre over several seasons, including Ladies in Waiting by Peter De Anda, directed by Shauneille Perry; A Recent Killing by Amiri Baraka, directed by Irving Vincent; African Interlude by Martie Evans Charles, directed by Shauneille Perry; and What the Winesellers Buy, by Ron Milner, which Woodie directed. I stage managed the production of Winesellers from rehearsals through the initial New York run and for 18 weeks on the road. Observing him wear both hats as director and producer was an education in and of itself. New Federal Theatre had become my second artistic home. Wow!

When I told Woodie I wanted to direct, without hesitation he said, “What play?” I told him: Divine Comedy, by Owen Dodson, who was my mentor at Howard. Woodie immediately responded and without any hesitation said, “Wow! Great! We will produce it next season.” And he did. That was my professional directorial debut. I subsequently directed for New Federal Theatre The Conjure-Man Dies, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (the first Off-Broadway production of a Wilson work), Harriet’s Return: Based on the Legendary Life of Harriet Tubman, Two Can Play, and Widows (a Zoom presentation during Covid). Wow! 

I was honored and humbled that Woodie asked me to direct productions for his newly created National Black Touring Circuit, as well as two New Federal Theatre anniversary galas. He was also the artistic agent/liaison for fellowships I received at a time when it was challenging to find other theatres open to my presence. Woodie brought artists together and initiated collaborations that continue to change the course of theatre and the entire artistic landscape. Conversations about African, African American, and Caribbean theatre and arts continue to be enriched and enhanced because of Woodie. His name must be spoken and revered. Without Woodie, I would never have had the opportunity to collaborate with Derek Walcott on his musical Marie Laveau (music by Galt MacDermot), and as a result, Derek became a good friend. Without Woodie, dramaturging early and later works of the late playwright/educator Michael Dinwiddie, who was also the musical director of the first play I directed for New Federal, would not have happened. Woodie had a Midas touch in the way he brought artists together. More than 95 percent of my theatre family have direct connections to Woodie. He was an American impresario. Wow!

Working for and with Woodie was not always a breeze or smooth sailing. Although rare, there were occasional challenges, as is often the case when extremely talented artists gather and create. However, Woodie, as artistic director and producer, understood and respected the sanctity of the director, as well as the authority of the production stage manager, and a calmer sea always prevailed. I will forever appreciate his clarity of perception in “what needs to be done.” Woodie, even faced with the challenges of inequitable funding for New Federal Theatre, and sometimes no funding at all, always persevered and prevailed. He was always committed to his theatre’s mission: “to integrate artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theatre by training artists for the profession and by presenting plays by writers of color and women to integrated, multicultural audiences.” Wow!

Woodie proved to be a fantastic helmsman steering the course of African American theatre. His was a mission and vision I embraced and will continue to do so wholeheartedly. We are all better for it. He was resilient. Wow!

And Woodie was always in my corner. He helped me become the artist I am today. For that, and for so many other reasons, I am humbled and heartened to have known his love and gained his respect.

Wow! 

Clinton Turner Davis is a director, educator, dramaturg, playwright, production supervisor, and arts consultant. He has directed productions Off-Broadway and at numerous regional theatres, colleges and universities in the United States and Taiwan.