The Public Theater

The Public Theater

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The Public Theater

The set of Mom, How Did You Meet the Beatles? in the Shiva Theater.

The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as The Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers. It is headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library in the East Village section of Lower Manhattan. The venue opened in 1967, mounting the world-premiere production of the musical Hair as its first show. It currently is led by Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson.

The Public Theater is known for presenting "challenging work." This has a variety of meanings, including artistic heterodoxy. It also reflects the Public Theater's role as a voice for the American social and political Left. Many of its productions are considered avant-garde and not likely to find a home in theaters catering to a mainstream audience.

In addition to five theater spaces, the site includes Joe's Pub, a cabaret-style setting used for new work, musical performances, spoken-word artists and soloists. The Public also operates the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where it presents its free Shakespeare in the Park performances during the summer months. These productions feature popular actors and tickets are disbursed quickly. The Public Theater also invests in theater education, training classical actors through the annual summer acting intensive known as the Shakespeare Lab.

Public Theater productions have won a total of 138 Obie Awards, 40 Tony Awards, 39 Drama Desk Awards, 19 Lucille Lortel Awards, and 4 Pulitzer Prizes. The Public has brought more than 50 shows to Broadway, including Sticks and Bones, The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, The Water Engine, The Human Comedy, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, That Championship Season, Plenty, The Pirates of Penzance, The Tempest, Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, On the Town, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and Take Me Out.

The most famous work to emerge from The Public, other than the original production of Hair, is the Michael Bennett musical A Chorus Line, based on the lives and careers of Broadway dancers, commonly known as "gypsies." The announced opening created such a stir of anticipation among the theatrical community that the entire limited run sold out long before opening night. Demand for tickets was such that the show moved uptown to the Shubert Theater, where it remained "one singular sensation" for fifteen sell-out years. Over the years, revenue from the many worldwide productions, both professional and amateur, of the show has been a steady and main source of income for the Public.

The Public Theater also hosts the Under the Radar Festival, directed by Mark Russell.

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