New York Shakespeare Festival

THROUGH THE PUBLIC THEATER, SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK AND JOE'S PUB, NYSF IS DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING AN AMERICAN THEATER THAT IS ACCESSIBLE AND RELEVANT TO ALL PEOPLE.

DOWNTOWN SEASONTHE PUBLIC THEATER'S MAINSTAGE SEASON AT 425 LAFAYETTE STREET FEATURES A DIVERSE LINE-UP OF NEW PLAYS AND MUSICALS, AS WELL AS SHAKESPEARE AND OTHER CLASSICS, IN FIVE THEATERS. THE DOWNTOWN PROGRAMMING AIMS TO PRESENT THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES OF THE TIME, AS TOLD BY THE FIELD'S MOST CUTTING-EDGE VOICES, TO THE BROADEST POSSIBLE AUDIENCE.THE 2022-23 SEASON CONTINUED THE PUBLIC THEATER'S TRADITION OF PRESENTING INNOVATIVE WORK WITH FIVE WORLD PREMIERES PRODUCTIONS: SUZAN-LORI PARKS' PLAYS FOR THE PLAGUE YEAR; SUZAN-LORI PARKS AND TREVOR RHONE'S THE HARDER THEY COME; RYAN J. HADDAD'S DARD DISABLED STORIES; AND ERIKA DICKERSON-DESPENZA'S SHADOW/LAND. NEW YORK PREMIERE PRODUCTIONS INCLUDED: BALDWIN AND BUCKLEY AT CAMBRIDGE, CONCEIVED BY GREIG SARGEANT WITH ELEVATOR REPAIR SERVICE; AND MADELINE SAYET'S WHERE WE BELONG. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE WORLD AND NEW YORK PREMIER PRODUCTIONS, THE PUBLIC THEATER ADDITIONALLY PRESENTED LARRAINE HANSBERRY'S A RAISIN IN THE SUN AS WELL AS THE WORK OF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS WITH THE 19TH ITERATION OF THE UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR GLOBAL ARTISTS TO DEVELOP THEIR WORKS, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, AND EXPLORE TOURING OPPORTUNITIES.

MOBILE UNITTHE MOBILE UNIT REACHES ACROSS ECONOMIC AND GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS TO THE ARTS BY STAGING FREE PROFESSIONAL THEATER PRODUCTIONS AND PROGRAMS IN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD VENUES WHERE PEOPLE WITH SEVERELY LIMITED ACCESS TO THE ARTS ARE CONGREGATED. THE MOBILE UNIT FOCUSES ON TOURING PRODUCTIONS TO PRISONS, HALFWAY HOUSES, COMMUNITY CENTERS AND OTHER PLACES WHERE THE MOST CRITICALLY UNDER-SERVED AND OVERLOOKED PARTS OF THE POPULATION ARE CONGREGATED. THESE PRODUCTIONS ARE THEN PRESENTED AS PART OF THE DOWNTOWN SEASON AT 425 LAFAYETTE STREET. OVER THE YEARS, THE MOBILE UNIT HAS SERVED THOUSANDS OF AUDIENCES WITH CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTIONS. FOLLOWING A 2022 TOURING SEASON TRUNCATED BY THE ONGOING EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE MOBILE UNIT WELCOMED BACK ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES FOR IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES OF THE BILINGUAL MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, WITH PERFORMANCES IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS AND AT 425 LAFAYETTE STREET. PUBLIC WORKSPUBLIC WORKS PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY CREATING BESPOKE CREATIVE PROGRAMMING THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THESE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT UNLEASH THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THEATER. OVER THE LAST TWELVE YEARS, PUBLIC WORKS HAS LED WORKSHOPS AT PARTNER SITES ALL OVER THE CITY, GATHERED TO EXPERIENCE LIVE THEATER, HELD MONTHLY COMMUNAL POTLUCKS, AND FORMED DEEP AND REAL LONGITUDINAL PARTNERSHIPS. WITH THE 2022-23 SEASON, PUBLIC WORKS CONTINUED ITS YEAR-ROUND EFFORTS ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH WEEKLY CLASSES, MONTHLY SOCIAL GATHERINGS, SEMI-REGULAR WORKSHOPS, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTEND PUBLIC THEATER PERFORMANCES. THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM WORKS CLOSELY WITH EIGHT COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO OFFER THIS ANNUAL PROGRAMMING, A MAJORITY OF WHICH HAVE ENGAGED WITH THE PUBLIC FOR ALL OR MOST OF THE PROGRAM'S DECADE-LONG HISTORY: CHILDREN'S AID (MANHATTAN), THE FORTUNE SOCIETY (QUEENS), DREAMYARD (BRONX), BROWNSVILLE RECREATION CENTER (BROOKLYN), DOMESTIC WORKERS UNITED (STATEN ISLAND AND CITYWIDE), CASITA MARIA CENTER FOR ARTS AND EDUCATION (BRONX), CENTER FOR FAMILY LIFE IN SUNSET PARK (BROOKLYN), AND MILITARY RESILIENCE FOUNDATION (CITYWIDE). AS IS TRADITION, THE CLIMACTIC EXPRESSION OF PUBLIC WORKS IS A PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF SHAKESPEARE PERFORMED AT THE DELACORTE THEATER IN CENTRAL PARK AND FEATURING HUNDREDS OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM ALL FIVE BOROUGHS. AS DETAILED ABOVE, THE 2022-23 SEASON FEATURED THE TEMPEST AS PART OF THE 2023 SEASON OF FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK. IN CENTERING THIS PRODUCTION FOR A FULL RUN ON OUR LARGEST STAGE, WE SOUGHT TO ASSERT THAT COMMUNITY-BASED WORK IS ONE OF THE PUBLIC'S HIGHEST PRIORITIES, OFFERING THIS JOYOUS PRODUCTION AS A VISION FOR WHAT A CITY UNIFIED BY ARTISTICALLY EXCELLENT AND RADICALLY INCLUSIVE ART MIGHT LOOK LIKE.PUBLIC SHAKESPEARE INITIATIVETHE PUBLIC SHAKESPEARE INITIATIVE PRODUCES AND PRESENTS A MULTIDIMENSIONAL LINEUP OF PROGRAMS, FUELED BY THE BELIEF THAT SHAKESPEARE IS FOR EVERYONE. THESE INCLUDE: A SERIES OF SCHOLARLY EXPLORATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH PUBLIC SHAKESPEARE PRESENTS AND INTIMATE PUBLIC SHAKESPEARE TALKS; ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT ENLIVEN EXPLORATIONS OF SHAKESPEARE WITH THE MOST VISIONARY ARTISTIC MINDS WORKING TODAY; AND THE HUNTS POINT CHILDREN'S SHAKESPEARE ENSEMBLE, A TARGETED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HUNTS POINT ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN.NEW WORK DEVELOPMENT & ANCILLARY PROGRAMS:EARLY CAREER WORKING GROUPS THE PUBLIC'S EARLY CAREER WORKING GROUPS PROVIDE COLLABORATIVE, EFFECTIVE MODELS FOR SUPPORTING ARTISTS AT CRITICAL STAGES OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT. THE PRIMARY GOALS OF EACH PROGRAM ARE TO BUILD MEANINGFUL PATHWAYS FOR ARTISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT: EMERGING WRITERS GROUP (EWG). FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING AND SUPPORTING EARLY CAREER PLAYWRIGHTS, THE EMERGING WRITER'S GROUP PROVIDES KEY RESOURCES FOR WRITERS AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR CAREERS. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE EWG PROGRAM IS TO BUILD MEANINGFUL PATHWAYS FOR WRITERS' ARTISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THE NEW WORK DEVELOPMENT TEAM WORKS TO CREATE A FERTILE COMMUNITY AND FOSTER A WEB OF SUPPORTIVE ARTISTIC RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS GENERATIONS. WRITERS ARE SELECTED BI-ANNUALLY AND RECEIVE A TWO-YEAR FELLOWSHIP, WHICH INCLUDES A $15,000 STIPEND. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ARE TAILORED TO SERVE QUALIFIED WRITERS WHO ARE SHUT OUT OF THE FIELD'S STANDARD PLAY DEVELOPMENT CHANNELS - THOSE WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL REPRESENTATION OR GRADUATE SCHOOL TRAINING. THE PLAYWRIGHTS PARTICIPATE IN A BI-WEEKLY WRITERS GROUP FEATURING MASTER CLASSES LED BY ESTABLISHED PLAYWRIGHTS, AND THEIR FELLOWSHIP CULMINATES IN AN INDUSTRY-INVITED SHOWCASE OF WORK DEVELOPED DURING THE RESIDENCY.DEVISED THEATER WORKING GROUP (DTWG). FORMED IN 2014, THE DEVISED THEATER WORKING GROUP (DTWG) IS AN ARTIST RESOURCE GROUP DESIGNED FOR MAKERS OF ALL DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING THOSE WHO DO NOT SELF-IDENTIFY AS THEATER MAKERS BUT FOR WHOM THEATRE IS A POTENT METAPHOR OR FRAMEWORK. DTWG SERVES AS A THINK TANK TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS RESPONSIVE TO THE MOST IMMEDIATE REALITIES OF INDEPENDENT THEATER MAKING. DTWG OFFERS NEXT-GENERATION THEATER-MAKERS A SUPPORTIVE FRAMEWORK IN WHICH TO DEVELOP THEIR WORK, ENGAGE IN CONSISTENT DIALOGUE, AND BE CHALLENGED BY EACH OTHER'S AESTHETIC PRACTICE. USING THE MODEL OF THE EMERGING WRITERS GROUP, DTWG CREATES AN INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT COHORTS OF BETWEEN EIGHT AND TEN ARTISTS OR PERFORMANCE GROUPS TO MEET CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS THEY CREATE THEATER BY OFFERING THE DRAMATURGICAL, TECHNICAL, ARTISTIC, AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES OF THE PUBLIC. JOE'S PUB WORKING GROUP (JPWG). JOE'S PUB WORKING GROUP (JPWG) IN ORDER TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES FOR THE FIELD AND TO SUPPORT ARTISTS AT A CRITICAL POINT IN THEIR CAREERS, DIRECTOR OF JOE'S PUB, ALEX KNOWLTON, AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF JOE'S PUB, ISABEL KIM LEAD THE JOE'S PUB WORKING GROUP, WHICH AIMS TO ENRICH THE SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH OF NEW YORK-BASED EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED ARTISTS' CAREERS BY PROVIDING ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES, PHYSICAL SPACE AND CURATORIAL SERVICES, FURTHER CULTIVATING A COMMUNITY ATMOSPHERE WHEREIN THOSE ARTISTS CAN CREATE AND SUSTAIN NEW AND DEVELOPING WORK.NEW YORK VOICES STARTED FROM A DESIRE TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS THE CRUMBLING MUSIC INDUSTRY AND THE LACK OF ALBUM SALES, AS WELL AS TO FIND A NEW WAY TO SUPPORT ARTISTS IN A MANNER UNIQUE TO JOE'S PUB. SINCE ALBUM SALES ARE A RELIC, WE HAVE COMMITTED TO COMMISSIONING AT LEAST THREE MUSICIANS PER YEAR AND HELPING THEM TO DEVELOP NEW TOOLS FOR THEIR LIVE SHOW. AS PART OF THE PUBLIC THEATER'S LONG HISTORY OF CULTIVATING THE COUNTRY'S MOST CELEBRATED ARTISTS, THROUGH THIS COMMISSION PROGRAM JOE'S PUB SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF NEW WORKS BY CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED MUSICIANS AND PERFORMERS. NEW YORK VOICES ENCOURAGES ARTISTS TO EXPLORE THEIR STORYTELLING, NARRATIVES AND SONGWRITING PROCESSES, AND INCLUDES A VARIETY OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND PRACTICAL RESOURCES. THE PROGRAM SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTS ARTISTS WITH THEIR CONTEMPORARIES AND SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDS THEIR ABILITY TO REACH WIDER AUDIENCES. MANY OF THE COMMISSIONED WORKS HAVE TOURED NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCETHE PUBLIC CONTINUED TO PROVIDE A HOME FOR ARTISTS WHOSE WORKS HAVE SET THE STANDARD FOR THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATER, FURTHER SOLIDIFYING AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT PROVIDES THESE INDIVIDUALS WITH THE TIME, RESOURCES, AND TOOLS TO CREATE WORKS FOR THE AMERICAN CANON. AS PART OF THIS, WE OFFER ARTISTS PHYSICAL WRITING SPACE ALONG WITH A FULL-TIME SALARY AND BENEFITS. THROUGHOUT THE 2022-23 SEASON, WE CONTINUED TO STEWARD MEANINGFUL ONGOING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THREE RESIDENT ARTISTS: SUZAN-LORI PARKS, SHAINA TAUB, AND ERIKA DICKERSON-DESPENZA. THE PUBLIC ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THREE ARTISTS AS PART OF CREATIVES REBUILD NEW YORK: IFE OLUJOBI, RYAN HADDAD, AND JULIAN GOLDHAGEN, AND BEGAN THE TWO-YEAR RESIDENCY OF GREG MOZGALA.

FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKFREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK AT THE DELACORTE THEATER IN CENTRAL PARK EMBODIES THE PUBLIC THEATER'S MISSION TO OFFER THE HIGHEST QUALITY WORK TO EVERYONE, FREE OF CHARGE. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, OVER 6 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE ENJOYED PERFORMANCES BY EMERGING AND WORLD-RENOWNED ARTISTS. CONTINUING A LONG-HELD TRADITION, ALL TICKETS FOR SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK ARE OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE THROUGH A VARIETY OF DISTRIBUTION METHODS IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE ACCESSIBILITY. FOR PATRONS WITH HEARING AND VISION IMPAIRMENTS, THE PUBLIC THEATER OFFERS A SIGN-INTERPRETED, OPEN-CAPTIONED, AND AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE FOR EACH PRODUCTION. THE 2023 SEASON CONTINUED THIS TRADITION OF PRESENTING FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK WITH TWO PRODUCTIONS: HAMLET, STARRING ATO BLANKSON-WOOD AND DIRECTED BY TONY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR KENNY LEON, AND A MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF THE TEMPSET FROM OUR PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAM, FEATURING 75 COMMUNITY MEMBERS ONSTAGE FOR EVERY PERFORMANCE.

JOE'S PUBFOUNDED IN 1998, JOE'S PUB IS COMMITTED TO REFLECTING THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY THAT IT REPRESENTS IN ITS AUDIENCES AND ON ITS STAGE BY PROGRAMMING A WIDE RANGE OF EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCES FROM ARTISTS ACROSS THE FIELDS OF MUSIC, FILM, AND DANCE, WHILE KEEPING TICKET PRICES AT A MINIMUM. IN AN AVERAGE SEASON, JOE'S PUB PRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 700 SHOWS FOR OVER 100,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. SINCE ITS OPENING, JOE'S PUB HAS PRESENTED OVER 8,000 PERFORMANCES FROM AN ECLECTIC ROSTER THAT INCLUDES TOP PERFORMERS FROM BROADWAY, CABARET, DANCE, WORLD, SINGER-SONGWRITER, JAZZ, COUNTRY AND INDIE GENRES, TODAY'S RISING STARS, AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNERS.THE 2022-23 JOE'S PUB SEASON FEATURED NIGHTLY PROGRAMMING WITH A MIX OF NEW AND FAMILIAR FACES SUCH AS JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND, BRIDGET EVERETT, TOSHI REAGON, SHAINA TAUB, JAKE BLOUNT, LEE JIN AH, AND EVA NOBLEZADA. IN OCTOBER 2022, JOE'S PUB HOSTED THE SECOND ANNUAL EDITION OF HABIBI FESTIVAL, A WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION OF GROUNDBREAKING ARTISTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICAN REGIONS. JOE'S PUB ALSO PRESENTED A FREE OUTDOOR EVENT AT THE ASTOR PLACE PLAZA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VILLAGE ALLIANCE CALLED "THE COMMUNITY COOKOUT & THE SOAPBOX PRESENTS: FOR THE PEOPLE" WITH PERFORMANCES BY ENDEA OWENS & THE COOKOUT, YAHZARAH, GREG BANKS, AND MORE.