Keith Gates: Music
David Wood
Ira David Wood III is Founder and Executive Director of Theatre In The Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. A native North Carolinian, he is the only two-time recipient of the Medal of Arts award, presented by the Raleigh Arts Commission for extraordinary artistic achievement. He has appeared in motion pictures and television, though his theatrical career has centered primarily on stage work. National Business Yearly has named him one of the fifty most influential people in the Triangle area. Over the years, his theatre work has taken him to such places as China, Afghanistan, Iran, Germany, Italy, France and England.
He wrote and directed the Opening Ceremonies for the US Olympic Festival in 1987 ...the largest single event in the history of North Carolina. He has made numerous appearances with The North Carolina Symphony as a guest artist - and has also appeared at The Kennedy Center with Andre Watts and The National Symphony. His original plays have been performed throughout the United States. He is a recipient of The Order Of The Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor this state can afford one of its citizens. South Carolina's Babcock Foundation also recently presented him their prestigious Builder of Bridges Award.
An internationally acclaimed actor of remarkable range and ability, David has given theatregoers critically-acclaimed performances in such roles as Hamlet, Richard III, Cyrano de Bergerac, Romeo and King Lear. He is consistently voted Best Actor in area public opinion polls and N.C. critics have long referred to him " ... one of the finest actors this state has ever produced."