2008 Woodie Awards
Rockin' the small screen
Delaware native Keith Powell acts in NBC's hit primetime show '30 Rock'
by James Adams Smith
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: Mosaic
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Powell, founder of Wilmington's Contemporary Stage Company, currently plays James "Toofer" Spurlock on the NBC sitcom "30 Rock." When not working with stars like Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, he often leaves his Brooklyn home to visit friends in Delaware.
"I like coming to Delaware," Powell, who attended St. Marks High School, says. "I want to be around real people."
"30 Rock," which won an Emmy Award in 2007 for Outstanding Comedy Series, suffered a steep drop in ratings as a result of the Writers' Strike.
"I feel like we had a certain amount of momentum that stopped because of the Strike," he says. "We had to start from scratch, but we are picking up momentum again."
The name Toofer is a smart and articulate Harvard University graduate, constantly at odds with stereotyped images. The Toofer is meant to imply "two-for-one," a token black guy who happens to be funny.
"I wanted to make this character a positive portrayal on TV," Powell says. "He was written kind of broadly, but I wanted to make him human, with as many flaws, insecurities and neuroses as anyone else."
"Subway Hero," the second episode back from the Writers' Strike, aired Thursday and included Powell playing American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.
"I feel like acting is an ability to affect and educate an audience in a way that's not didactic," Powell says. "You can create change in society without talking about it - reach people in an emotional sense rather than an intellectual sense."
He says working on the show is like a master class and working with such talented and famous actors is a huge learning experience.
"I have a gigantic crush on Tina Fey," he says. "All the compliments that you would think of Tina Fey are true. She's like a super human being. It's freaky. [Alec Baldwin] is really devoted to making every single second of every scene honest and fun."
Before the Writers' Strike disrupted the show, Powell became the nation's youngest artistic director for his own Contemporary Stage Company in Wilmington. The company has since had its own financial problems, and Powell believes the company won't last much longer.
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