Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre Celebrates 40 Years, Sunday, May 22

Gala to Honor Sidney Poitier, Ntozake Shange, Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Mayor David Dinkins, and more.

Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre (NFT) will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a special gala at the historic Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street) on Sunday evening, May 22nd. This special event saluting NFT, for 40 years a seminal force in Black Theater, will be co-hosted by Randall Pinkston  (CBS News) and Lynn Whitfield. Chairmen for the event are Laurence Fishburne, John Morning and Susan Taylor. The Honorary Chair is Dr. Maya Angelou.
In addition to celebrating NFT’s vital contribution to the arts internationally, the gala will feature special awards for 13 individuals that changed the cultural life of our nation: Sidney Poitier, Ntozake Shange, Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Mayor David Dinkins, Imhotep Gary Byrd, George Faison, Amiri Baraka, Rev. Malcolm Boyd, Elizabeth McCann, Carla Pinza, Terrie Williams and Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin.

The celebration will kick off at 4 PM followed by the dinner and awards ceremony.

Founded by Woodie King, Jr. in 1970, New Federal Theatre has gone on to international acclaim for its bold mission to integrate minorities and women into the mainstream of American theater by training artists for the profession and by presenting plays by minorities and women to integrated, multicultural audiences – plays which evoke the truth through beautiful, artistic re-creations of ourselves.

For ticket information, call Lorelei Enterprises at 212-838-2660, ext. 14.