Resident Company – New Federal Theater
“The New Federal Theatre holds a special place for me…Before Joe Papp it was Woodie King Jr. and the New Federal Theatre that became an important part of the For
Colored Girls story.”
– Oz Scott, television and film director and producer
About New Federal Theater
New Federal Theater (NFT) was founded by Woodie King, Jr. as a creative haven for Black artists, developing their inclusion in the mainstream of American Theatre, and producing stories that inform, uplift, and heal. The name came out of the Federal Theatre Project created under the FDR administration and directed by Hallie Flannigan from 1935 to 1939. The Federal Theatre Project had 35 Negro Units across America. In 1970, inspired by the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, New Federal Theatre picked up the fervor, incorporated as a nonprofit organization, and since has produced over 400 plays by writers of color and women, presented to Black and multicultural audiences. The company has consistently provided emerging and established playwrights with the opportunity to have their work produced. It has brought minority actors, directors, and designers to national attention and its vocational training workshops prepared Black people for employment in the theatre. New Federal Theatre is one of the pillars of Black Theatre – invaluable to the community and other Black Institutions. In the 70s and 80s, New Federal Theatre was at the vanguard of a vibrant Black Theatre movement, launching countless Black artists’ careers and presenting original productions of works by playwrights such as Ron Milner, J.e. Franklin, Ed Bullins, Pearl Cleage, Charles Fuller, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Laurence Holder, Ntozake Shange, and more.
“I moved to New York when I was 25. Now I’m 68 and that’s a lifetime, and I owe it to New Federal Theatre for helping me get to this point.”
– S. Epatha Merkerson, actor
Some notable productions include Amiri Baraka: Slave Ship, What the Wine Sellers Buy, Black Girl, The Taking of Miss Janie, Zora, When The Chickens Came Home To Roost, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Was Enuf, In My Many Names And Days, James Baldwin; Soul On Fire. NFT helped launch the careers of many well-known actors, including Denzel Washington, Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, S. Epatha Merkerson, Issa Rae, La Tanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Chadwick Boseman, and Morgan Freeman.
