Max Arthur Woodward, 76, of Washington. DC, formerly of Masontown, PA, passed away Friday, October 14, 2022. The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

He was born in Uniontown, PA on June 20, 1946, the son of the late Donald R. and Marie (Tinti) Woodward.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother John Woodward. Left to cherish his memory are his brother Donald Woodward, Jr. and his wife, Diana, his cousins, Donna Matoney and her husband, Bill, Maxine Bylstone and her husband, Bruce, Marsha Henderson and her husband, Danny, Clara Andrews. Aunt Mary Ann Tinti and several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his close friends; Catherine Hill, Tike Davies, Paul Newman, Kathy Kruse, Ann Solovia and Bill Wooby.

After graduating from Albert Gallatin High School in 1964, he worked as an FBI file clerk and served in the US Army in Frankfurt, Germany, before settling in Washington, DC in 1967 after his discharge.

He was an usher at the National Theatre before the Kennedy Center. He traced his interest in the theater to his childhood fascination with “The Ed Sullivan Show” on television.

Max joined the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts staff as an usher when the performing arts center opened in 1971 and retired in 2016 as Vice President of Theater Programming, overseeing touring Broadway productions and original shows. He slowly advanced through the accounting department to managing the Eisenhower Theater and eventually overseeing the Opera House, the Terrace Theater and he Concert Hall. Over the course of his 44-year career, he helped shape the identify of theater at the Center and left his mark through unforgettable events. His warmth, kindness, and humor touched the hearts of all who met him, and his intimate knowledge of his art form could impress even the most seasoned of theatergoers.

At the time of his retirement, Woodward had been the Kennedy Center’s Vice President of Theater Programming since 2002, programming and producing the plays and musicals of its theater season. As a Producer for Center Initiative, he produced such acclaimed programs and shows as Sondheim Celebration, Tennessee Williams Explored, Mr. Roberts, Carnival!, Mame, August Wilson’s 20th Century, Ragtime, Terrence McNally Nights at the Opera, Follies and the Guardsman.

The Kennedy Center productions of Ragtime and Follies made successful transfers to Broadway.

Prior to his role at retirement, Woodward served as the Center’s General Manager of Theater for 12 years, overseeing the daily operations of the Center’s seven theaters. He had previously served as House Manager of the Center’s Eisenhower Theater for 17 years, and also served as the Company Manager for Kennedy Center productions such as First Monday in October with Henry Fonda, Medea with Zoe Caldwell, Make and Break with Peter Faulk, and Caine Mutiny with Charlton Heston, among others.

When he retired, he told The Washington Post that he would most miss working on new theatrical ventures, including the 2002 Sondheim Celebration as well as revivals of Sondheim’s “Follies” (2011) and the Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty-Terrence McNally “Ragtime” (2009).

In those cases, he said, his work entailed “starting a show from absolute scratch. You pick a project, you get the rights, hire the designers, choreographers, and all of that, and put it into rehearsal. The first day of rehearsal is the most wonderful day. That’s the part I will miss the most”.

Friends will be received in the Masontown Brethren Church on Saturday, October 29, 2022 from 10 until 11 a.m., the hour of service with Pastor Benji Zylka officiating. Arrangements have been entrusted to the JOHN S. MAYKUTH JR. FUNERAL HOME, 7 River Avenue, Masontown, PA

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Masontown Brethren Church.

Interment: Masontown Cemetery, Masontown, PA. Military Rites will be accorded by the American Legion Post 423 and VFW Post 4584.