Ira David Wood III
Encyclopedia
Ira Wood III is an American actor, singer, theater director and playwright. He is the Executive Director of Theatre in the Park
, a community theatre
company in Raleigh, North Carolina
.
, and was raised in the Enfield
area of Halifax County, North Carolina
. He is a graduate of The North Carolina School of the Arts, having attended between 1965 and 1970. His first wife is Sara Lynn Moore (born 6 Mar 1958), an actress, director and acting coach. They were divorced in September 1996, and he is currently married to Ashley Mattox Wood. His sister, Carol Winstead Wood, is a Hollywood production designer. Two of his three children, Evan Rachel Wood
and Ira David Wood IV
, are Hollywood actors.
, and he has also appeared with Andre Watts
and the National Symphony Orchestra
at The Kennedy Center.
He wrote and directed the Opening Ceremonies for the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1987 – the largest single athletic event in the history of North Carolina.
Following extensive work in developing a chronology of the John F. Kennedy Assassination
in preparation for a theatrical production, he is listed as a contributing writer for the 2000 book Murder in Dealey Plaza.
) a popular musical comedy adaptation of A Christmas Carol
that has been performed annually in Raleigh and, more recently, in nearby Durham since 1974. His is acknowledged as one of the earliest adaptations of the venerable Christmas classic for the theatre and one of the first adaptations of any type that featured a comic element. The local newspaper, the News & Observer
has called it "‘one of the most successful shows in North Carolina theater history". The production has toured internationally twice and has been shown to a total audience of more than one million people.
presented him with their Builder of Bridges award.
In 2004, the performance venue of Theatre in the Park in Raleigh was named "The Ira Wood III Pullen Park Theatre", in recognition of his decades of work in local theatre.
Theatre In The Park
Theatre in the Park is a community theatre located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The theatre's Executive Director is Ira David Wood III, father of actress Evan Rachel Wood. Ira David Wood III is famous for his musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"...
, a community theatre
Community theatre
Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...
company in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
.
Early life and family
Wood was born in Rocky Mount, North CarolinaRocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
, and was raised in the Enfield
Enfield, North Carolina
Enfield is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina founded in 1740 and it is a predominantly African American town. The population was 2,347 at the 2000 census.Enfield is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
area of Halifax County, North Carolina
Halifax County, North Carolina
-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:-Demographics:[[Image:HalifaxCountyCotton.wmg.jpg|left|thumb|A cotton field blooms in Halifax County....
. He is a graduate of The North Carolina School of the Arts, having attended between 1965 and 1970. His first wife is Sara Lynn Moore (born 6 Mar 1958), an actress, director and acting coach. They were divorced in September 1996, and he is currently married to Ashley Mattox Wood. His sister, Carol Winstead Wood, is a Hollywood production designer. Two of his three children, Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
and Ira David Wood IV
Ira David Wood IV
Ira David Wood IV is an American actor. He is the older brother of actress Evan Rachel Wood.Wood was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. His mother is actress Sara Lynn Moore and his father is Ira David Wood III, a locally prominent actor who is the Executive Director of a theatre company in Raleigh,...
, are Hollywood actors.
Career
Wood mainly works in live theatre, but he has also made appearances in a few motion pictures and on television. He has also been a guest artist on numerous occasions with the North Carolina SymphonyNorth Carolina Symphony
The North Carolina Symphony is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-nine full time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the The Opera Company of North Carolina. In 2007, the organization...
, and he has also appeared with Andre Watts
André Watts
André Watts is a classical pianist and professor at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University.-Life and early performances:...
and the National Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1931, is an American symphony orchestra that performs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.-History:...
at The Kennedy Center.
He wrote and directed the Opening Ceremonies for the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1987 – the largest single athletic event in the history of North Carolina.
Following extensive work in developing a chronology of the John F. Kennedy Assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
in preparation for a theatrical production, he is listed as a contributing writer for the 2000 book Murder in Dealey Plaza.
A Christmas Carol
Wood is best known for conceiving, producing and headlining (as ScroogeEbenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness...
) a popular musical comedy adaptation of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
that has been performed annually in Raleigh and, more recently, in nearby Durham since 1974. His is acknowledged as one of the earliest adaptations of the venerable Christmas classic for the theatre and one of the first adaptations of any type that featured a comic element. The local newspaper, the News & Observer
The News & Observer
The News & Observer is the regional daily newspaper of the Research Triangle area of the U.S. State of North Carolina. The N&O, as it is popularly called, is based in Raleigh and also covers Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill. The paper also has substantial readership in most of the state east of...
has called it "‘one of the most successful shows in North Carolina theater history". The production has toured internationally twice and has been shown to a total audience of more than one million people.
Awards and recognition
Wood has been awarded the Medal of Arts award for artistic achievement on two occasions (the only individual twice honored), as presented by the Raleigh Arts Commission. He is a recipient of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the State of North Carolina, and the Babcock Foundation of South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
presented him with their Builder of Bridges award.
In 2004, the performance venue of Theatre in the Park in Raleigh was named "The Ira Wood III Pullen Park Theatre", in recognition of his decades of work in local theatre.