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The Public Theater

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The Public Theateris an arts organization inNew York City.Founded byJoseph Papp,The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.[1]Its first production was the musicalHairin 1967.[2]Since Papp, the theatre has been led byJoAnne Akalaitis(1991–1993), andGeorge C. Wolfe(1993–2004), and is currently under Artistic DirectorOskar Eustisand Executive DirectorPatrick Willingham.

The Public Theater
Map
Address425 Lafayette Street
New York City
United States
Coordinates40°43′45″N73°59′30″W/ 40.72917°N 73.99167°W/40.72917; -73.99167
DesignationNew York City Landmark(Astor Library)
TypeOff-Broadway
CapacityLuEsther: 160
Martinson: 199
Shiva: 99
Newman: 299
Anspacher: 275
Opened1967
Website
www.publictheater.org

The Public's headquarters is located at 425Lafayette Streetin the formerAstor LibraryinLower Manhattan.The building contains five theater spaces, andJoe's Pub,a cabaret-style venue for new work, musical performances, spoken-word artists, and soloists. Additionally, The Public operates theDelacorte TheaterinCentral Park,where it has staged "Shakespeare in the Park"performances free of charge since 1954.[3]

Recent productions include:The Merchant of Venice(2010);Here Lies Love(2013);Fun Home(2013);Eclipsed(2015); andHamilton(2015).

Programs and series

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In addition to each season of full-scale theatrical productions, The Public produces several different series, festivals, and programs each year.[4]

The Public presented its inaugural Public LAB series in 2008 with an annual series of new plays presented in collaboration withLAByrinth Theater Company.With each Public LAB show, the corresponding speaker series is presented as after-show talkbacks to discuss prominent themes, ideas, and topics in the plays. Several plays that have appeared in the Public LAB series have gone onto full-scale productions, includingTracey Scott Wilson'sThe Good Negro,which ran at The Public in 2009, andBloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,which had a sold-out, thrice-extendedoff-Broadwayrun at The Public in spring 2010 and transferred toBroadwaythat fall.[5]

In 2011, Public LAB expanded to include Public LAB SHAKESPEARE, which is a new platform for The Public's exploration of the Shakespeare canon. This expansion marks the growth of The Public's Shakespeare Initiative and provides more ways for The Public to produce American interpretations of Shakespeare's works. The first production of Public LAB SHAKESPEARE wasTimon of Athensin March 2011, withRichard Thomasplaying the title role.[6]

Since 2013, The Public's Mobile Unit has been bringing free Shakespeare performances to various locations throughout New York City's five boroughs, including prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers. The tour concludes at the Public Theater, having previously performed at notable venues such asRikers Island,Borden Avenue's Veteran's Shelter, and The Fortune Society.[7]The Public also launched its inaugural Public Works production in 2013. Public Works combines diverse groups of people throughout the five boroughs of New York City to watch theater, participate in theatrical workshops, and perform in one full-scale Public Works production alongside professional actors at Shakespeare in the Park. Past Public Works productions include The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, and The Odyssey.[8]

The Public Forum, begun in 2010, is a series of lectures, debates, and conversations that showcase leading voices in the arts, politics and the media. Curated by Jeremy McCarter, a senior writer atNewsweek,Public Forum events explore issues raised by plays in The Public's season, as well as the political and cultural headlines of today's world. Notable participants in the series includeStephen Sondheim,Tony Kushner,Arianna Huffington,Alec BaldwinandAnne Hathaway.[9]

The Public hosts the annualUnder the Radar Festival,a festival tracking new theater from around the world.

Over the last 12 years,[when?]The Public's Under the Radar Festival (UTR) has presented over 194 companies from 40 countries. UTR has presented works by such artists asElevator Repair Service,Gob Squad,Belarus Free Theatre,andYoung Jean Lee.[10]

The Public serves as the home of the Emerging Writers Group, which seeks to target playwrights at the earliest stages in their careers. The Emerging Writers Group is a component of The Public Writers Initiative.[11]

The Public also fosters Public Studio, a performance series dedicated to developing the works of new and emerging theater artists. Emerging playwrights get the opportunity to stage a piece somewhere between a workshop and a full production in front of an audience, as an opportunity to gage audience reaction and further develop their work.[12]

The Public Theater invests in theater education, training classical actors through the annual summer acting intensive known as the Shakespeare Lab. The Shakespeare Lab is The Public Theater's professional actor development program that immerses a selected company of professional, mid-career actors in a summer intensive exploring the rigors, challenges, and joys of performing Shakespeare.[13]

The Public Theater hosts educational programs for teenagers such as Shakespeare Spring Break, Summer ShakeUP, and A Midsummer Day's Camp programs, all for teenagers interested in learning about and performing Shakespeare.[14]

Suzan-Lori Parks,Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Master Writer Chair of The Public, debuted her performance pieceWatch Me Workas part of the 2011 Under The Radar Festival. In the performance, Parks worked on her newest writing project in the main lobby of The Public Theater.[15]

The Astor Library in the latter half of the 19th century
A drawing of the Library published in 1900

Notable works and awards

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A number of The Public's productions have moved to larger Broadway theaters upon the conclusion of their run at Astor Place. The three most commercially successful of these works have beenHair(1967),A Chorus Line(1975), andHamilton(2015).

The Public Theater has won 54Tony Awards,152Obie Awards,42Drama Desk Awardsand fivePulitzer Prizes.Fifty-five Public Theater productions have moved to Broadway, includingSticks and Bones,That Championship Season,A Chorus Line,For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,The Pirates of Penzance,The Tempest,[when?]Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk,Michael John LaChiusa'sThe Wild Party,The Ride Down Mt. Morgan,Topdog/Underdog,Take Me Out,Caroline, or Change,Passing Strange,the revival ofHAIR,Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,The Merchant of Venice,The Normal Heart,Well,Fun Home,Hamilton,andEclipsed.[citation needed]

Astor Library Building

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See also:Astor Library

The Public has been housed in a landmarkedRomanesque revivalstructure at 425Lafayette Streetsince 1967, built between 1853 and 1881 as the Astor Library, which later merged with the Tilden and Lenox collections to become theNew York Public Library.The library was built byWilliam B. Astor,son of the library's founder,John Jacob Astor.A German-born architect,Alexander Saeltzer,who had been the architect of theAnshe Chesed Synagogue, [16][17]designed the building inRundbogenstilstyle, then the prevailing style for public building in Germany.[citation needed]Astor funded two expansions of the building toward Astor Place, designed byGriffith Thomas(1856–1869) andThomas Stent(1879–1881).[18]Both large expansions followed Saeltzer's original design so seamlessly that an observer cannot detect that the edifice was built in three stages.

In 1920, theHebrew Immigrant Aid Societypurchased the building. By 1965, it was in disuse and faced demolition. The Public Theater, then theNew York Shakespeare Festival,persuaded the city to purchase it for use as a theater. It was converted for theater use byGiorgio Cavaglieribetween 1967 and 1976.[18][19]

The building is aNew York City Landmark,designated in 1965.[20]It was one of the first buildings to be recognized as such by the newly formed Landmarks Preservation Commission of New York City.[21]

In 2009, The Public began its "Going Public" campaign to raise funds for a major renovation of the historic building.[22][23]Groundbreaking for the $35 million renovation occurred on March 9, 2010, with notables such asLiev SchreiberandPhilip Seymour Hoffmanin attendance.[24]Plans included a renovation of Joe's Pub; the Pub went on a three-month hiatus during the summer of 2011 to allow for construction.[25]The building re-opened on October 4, 2012 after a renovation designed byEnnead Architectscosting $40 million.[26]

Public Works productions

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In 2013, The Public launched Public Works, which brings together diverse groups of people throughout the five boroughs of New York City to watch theater, participate in theatrical workshops, and perform in one full-scale Public Works production alongside professional actors at Shakespeare in the Park. Past Public Works productions includeThe Tempest,The Winter's Tale,andThe Odyssey.[8]Two productions,Shaina Taub's adaptations ofTwelfth NightandAs You Like It,were later remounted asfull Shakespeare in the Park productionsin 2018 and 2022, respectively.[27][28]

Year Work performed Director Notable cast members Ref.
2013 The Tempest Lear deBessonet [29]
2014 The Winter’s Tale Lear deBessonet Lindsay Mendez [30]
2015 The Odyssey Lear deBessonet [31]
2016 Twelfth Night Kwame Kwei-Armah Nikki M. James,Andrew Kober,Jose Llana,Jacob Ming-Trent [32]
2019 Hercules[a] Lear deBessonet Jelani Alladin,Roger Bart,Jeff Hiller,James Monroe Iglehart,Ramona Keller,Tamika Lawrence,Krysta Rodriguez,Rema Webb [33][34]
  1. ^stage adaptation of the1997 Disney film

References

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  1. ^Epstein, Helen.Joe Papp: An American Life,Da Capo Press, March 1, 1996.ISBN978-0306806766
  2. ^Hetrick, Adam.e-Director "Public Theater Appoints Patrick Willingham Executive Director,"Archived2012-02-26 at theWayback MachinePlaybill, Nov 2011.
  3. ^"Shakespeare In The Park – History",Archived2011-04-13 at theWayback MachineShakespeareInThePark.org, April 2011.
  4. ^"NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL".Pro Publica.Pro Publica Inc. May 9, 2013.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
  5. ^"Public Theater – Public LAB",Archived2011-04-14 at theWayback MachinePublicTheater.org, April 2011.
  6. ^Hetrick, Adam."Richard Thomas Will Star in Shakespeare'sTimon of AthensAt The Public ",Archived2011-03-13 at theWayback MachinePlaybill, April 2011.
  7. ^"Mobile Unit".publictheater.org.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2015.
  8. ^ab"Public Works".publictheater.org.Archivedfrom the original on October 1, 2015.
  9. ^"The Public Theater – Public Forum",Archived2011-03-16 at theWayback MachinePublicTheater.org, April 2011.
  10. ^"Under the Radar".publictheater.org.Archived fromthe originalon July 22, 2016.
  11. ^"The Public Theater – Emerging Writers Group",Archived2011-04-25 at theWayback MachinePublicTheater.org, April 2011.
  12. ^"Public Studio".publictheater.org.Archived fromthe originalon October 7, 2015.
  13. ^"The Public Theater – Shakespeare Lab",Archived2013-04-15 atarchive.todayPublicTheater.org, April 2011.
  14. ^"The Public Theater – Shakespeare Programs For Teenagers",Archived2012-07-14 atarchive.todayPublicTheater.org, April 2011.
  15. ^"Watch Me Work",Archived2011-11-06 at theWayback Machinesuzanloriparks, April 2011.
  16. ^Israelowitz, Oscar (2004).Oscar Israelowitz's Guide to Jewish New York City.New York: Israelowitz Pub. p. 86.ISBN9781878741622.
  17. ^New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission."Anshe Chesed Synagogue Designation Report"Archived2012-05-12 at theWayback Machine(February 10, 1987)
  18. ^abWhite, Norval& Willensky, Elliot (2000).AIA Guide to New York City(4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press.ISBN978-0-8129-3107-5.
  19. ^Dimonstein, Barbaralee.The Landmarks of New York,Harry Abrams, 1998 p. 107
  20. ^New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission;Dolkart, Andrew S.;Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.).Guide to New York City Landmarks(4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-0-470-28963-1.,p.64
  21. ^Epstein, Helen (1996).Joe Papp: An American Life.Boston: Da Capo Press.ISBN9780306806766.
  22. ^"Enter Theatergoers, Gently Welcomed,"Robin Pogrebin,The New York Times,April 27, 2009
  23. ^Morrone, Francis (2002).The Architectural Guidebook to New York City.Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith.ISBN1-58685-211-6.
  24. ^Hetrick, Adam."McDonald, Hoffman, Schreiber, Benanti Attend Public's Groundbreaking; Renovation Details Announced",Archived2013-11-01 at theWayback MachinePlaybill, April 2011.
  25. ^"Joe's Pub Will Take Summer Hiatus as Public Continues Renovations",Archived2013-11-01 at theWayback MachinePlaybill, April 2011.
  26. ^Lipinski, Jed."The Public Theater celebrates the end of a long refurbishments"Archived2015-02-02 at theWayback MachineCapital(October 8, 2012)
  27. ^Clement, Olivia."Shaina Taub and Members of Public Works Perform a Number From Her Twelfth Night Musical".Playbill.RetrievedMay 9,2023.
  28. ^Harms, Talaura."The Public's Free Shakespeare in the Park's As You Like It Completes Run September 11".Playbill.RetrievedMay 9,2023.
  29. ^"Good People".The Foundry Theater's Good Person of Szechwan [program].The Public Theater. October 2013. p. 6.
  30. ^Soloski, Alexis (August 27, 2014)."Shakespeareans From All Walks of Life".The New York Times.p. AR4.
  31. ^Millward, Tom (May 12, 2015)."The Public Theater announces 2015-2016 Season".New York Theater Guide.RetrievedMay 18,2022.
  32. ^"Nikki M. James, Jose Llana and Andrew Kober to Lead the Public's TWELFTH NIGHT Musical Adaptation".BroadwayWorld.August 3, 2016.RetrievedJune 3,2022.
  33. ^BWW News Desk (February 6, 2019)."Breaking: Bless My Soul! Public Theater Will Stage HERCULES at the Delacorte Theatre This Summer".BroadwayWorld.RetrievedSeptember 2,2019.
  34. ^Evans, Greg (June 20, 2019)."'Hercules' Stage Musical Adaptation Finds Its Strongman: Jelani Alladin Among Cast Announced For Shakespeare In The Park Production ".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedSeptember 2,2019.
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