The Public Theater

The BIPOC Critics Lab is going bi-coastal! We're thrilled to partner with The Old Globe on co-hosting cultural critic Jose Solís’ BIPOC Critics Lab! Partnering with the renowned Old Globe across the country will allow the opportunity for even more individuals to be impacted by this program’s ability to jumpstart their careers in arts journalism. These aligned values underscore a shared investment in expanding who gets to shape critical discourse and ensuring a more inclusive and representative American theater. Swipe to check out the 12 current members that have successfully completed their training for the BIPOC Critics Lab over the past year. These writers are passionate and eager to join the cultural conversation in both New York City and beyond. Together, they expanded what criticism can sound like and what it can make possible. Following three successful years of the program, we're honored to continue Jose Solís’ commitment to creating an educational space for BIPOC writers in the realm of cultural criticism. Applications are now open for the 2026-27 BIPOC Critics Lab Cohort. Learn more and apply now at https://thepublic.nyc/BCL.

The incredible company of Mobile Unit’s AS YOU LIKE IT is hard at work in rehearsals and getting ready to bring you an exciting FREE NYC tour in just 4 weeks! Performances will run from June 4-28. Don’t miss this joyful new production of Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy across all five boroughs for Mobile Unit’s 16th season, directed by Emma Rosa Went. For more info, including the full tour schedule and to let us know you’re coming, please visit: https://lnkd.in/edj2y8Wv.

✨ FIRST LOOK ✨ Free Shakespeare in the Park’s ROMEO & JULIET in rehearsals! Performances begin May 22 at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Mark your calendars!!! Never was there a story of more woe, or more romance, than the Bard’s tale of two lovers from warring families. An experience of Shakespeare’s legendary star-crossed lovers like you’ve never seen before, directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali! Learn about the 5 WAYS to access FREE tickets to ROMEO & JULIET at https://thepublic.nyc/RJ.

NYC, THIS IS YOUR FALL ’26 & WINTER ’27 SEASON AT THE PUBLIC! In one of your most expansive seasons yet, experience world premieres, North American debuts, and thrilling productions from today’s most dynamic artists. From downtown at Astor Place to The Delacorte in Central Park and across New York, The Public is theater of, by, and for all, because art and culture belong to everyone. And we’re just getting started! Spring & Summer 2027 productions will be announced this September. Learn more: thepublic.nyc/Season

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of Larry Kramer’s groundbreaking play THE NORMAL HEART, we’re celebrating with a one-night-only benefit reading, directed by Tony Kushner tomorrow, April 27! The exciting cast will feature Michael Cyril Creighton, Billy Eichner, David Greenspan, Jeff Hiller, Cory Michael Smith, Ben Stiller, Ali Stroker, David Turner, and Michael Urie. The revolutionary production premiered in The Public’s LuEsther Hall in April 1985, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and featuring David Allen Brooks, Brad Davis, D. W. Moffett, and Concetta Tomei. The production moved to The Public’s Anspacher Theater for an additional seven months, where Joel Grey later joined the cast and it became the longest-running play ever produced at The Public.. The play returned to The Public in 2004 for the Worth Street Theater Company’s production directed by David Esbjornson, featuring Raúl Esparza, Joanna Gleason, and Lisa Kron. “There can be little doubt that ‘The Normal Heart’ is the most outspoken play around – or that it speaks up about a subject that justifies its author’s unflagging... sense of urgency.” — The New York Times (1985) Twenty-six years after its world premiere, THE NORMAL HEART made its Broadway debut in 2011 with a Tony Award-winning production directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe and featuring Ellen Barkin, John Benjamin Hickey, Luke MacFarlane, Joe Mantello, Lee Pace, and Jim Parsons. Proceeds from this benefit will support The Public Theater’s year-round programming and activities and God’s Love We Deliver, founded to support people with HIV/AIDS. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/eBptjC9A “You just have to say these things over and over again, so people hear them. People are dying again. People who have been healthy and on the drugs are dying of AIDS now. I want to get the word out.” — Playwright Larry Kramer (2011)

ANNOUNCING PUBLIC FORUM + PUBLIC STORIES AT THE DELACORTE THIS SUMMER ✨ PUBLIC FORUM returns, featuring Constance Wu, Christian Slater, Anna Deavere Smith, Amy Sherald, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and more! Join us on select Mondays at 8PM for a vibrant series of live performances, debates, and conversations. A space where art, ideas, and action collide, PUBLIC FORUM brings New Yorkers together under the stars to take on the questions of our time. Free tickets distributed day-of. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e5f9ZCfR. PUBLIC STORIES: GOVERNMENT VOICES expands work with the Public Works community, partnering with District Council 37 (DC 37), New York’s largest municipal employee union. Government workers take the stage as storytellers in select performances of Free Shakespeare in the Park and Mobile Unit, emphasizing personal storytelling as both an artistic and civic act. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eaHeW_pQ. Culture belongs to everyone. Spend your summer experiencing free Shakespeare and civic programming in your city. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/edBKEbzY

GIRL, INTERRUPTED. At The Public. Beginning May 13, Tony Award nominee Juliana Canfield and platinum recording artist King Princess take the stage as Susanna and Lisa, alongside Gabi Campo, Mia Pak, Katherine Reis, and Sally Shaw, and more, on a shared search for connection and a way forward. This raw and unapologetic world premiere stage adaptation of Susanna Kaysen’s bestselling memoir reveals how the people who witness our darkest moments are often those who truly see us best. Featuring a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok, original music by two-time Grammy Award winner Aimee Mann, choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh, and direction by Tony Award nominee Jo Bonney. Get tickets now: https://lnkd.in/eg72Qt6p #GirlInterrupted #KingPrincess #OffBroadway #Theater #JulianaCanfield #AimeeMann #SonyaTayeh #MartynaMajok

SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY presented by Citizens is back and this year we’re welcoming more New Yorkers than ever back to The Delacorte Theater with a kickoff celebration and Summer Fridays! Join us Saturday, May 30 from noon to 5PM for a free, family-friendly afternoon at The Delacorte Theater! Meet Romeo the Raccoon, catch special appearances, grab giveaways, and enjoy concessions plus a popup from Wonder. Nothing says summer in New York like the reopening of The Delacorte Theater! Then, on select Fridays (June 5 & 19; August 7, 14 & 21), step inside the Delacorte for an Open House from 12–4 PM! Take a self-guided tour, snap photos onstage, enjoy family programming, and yes, pets are welcome. In the evening, stay for a picnic from 6–8 PM with music, giveaways, and special guests! Mark your calendars! FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK returns with ROMEO & JULIET beginning May 22 and THE WINTER’S TALE beginning July 25! This summer we’re expanding free ticket access across the city, including borough ticket distribution at 12 Citizens branches, along with multiple other ways to get free tickets all summer long! Experience SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY presented by Citizens like never before, with expanded programming, borough-wide access, and more to come! The Delacorte is back—free, for all, forever! Learn more at thepublic.nyc/SFTC26. 📸 Peter Cooper

Let the FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK countdown begin! Rehearsals have officially begun for ROMEO & JULIET with this incredible company. Two-time Tony Award nominee director Saheem Ali brings Shakespeare’s legendary star-crossed lovers to Central Park with ROMEO AND JULIET. Never was there a story of more woe, or more romance, than the Bard’s tale of two lovers from warring families. Performances begin May 22. We'll see you under the stars at The Delacorte Theater! Free. For all. Forever. More at https://lnkd.in/edBKEbzY Citizens is the presenting partner of FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK. Jerome L. Greene Foundation is the lead sponsor of FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK.

Mobile Unit's FREE NYC tour of AS YOU LIKE IT, begins June 4! All performances are FREE and will run through June 28, kicking off SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY 2026, presented by Citizens. Directed by Emma Rosa Went, this joyful new production of Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy will travel to parks, recreation centers, and correctional facilities around all five boroughs of New York City for Mobile Unit's 16th season. “I believe Shakespeare belongs to everyone, and As You Like It—a joyful, wise, radical play about what kind of society it might be possible for us to build together—feels like a meaningful offering for this moment. I am so honored to be part of this program, both as a theatre artist and a citizen of New York, and to meet everybody in all the Ardens across New York City, wherever we find them.” — Director Emma Rosa Went An exciting summer where the culture belongs to everyone is ahead. We can't wait to visit you all around the City in June! For more info, including the full tour schedule and to let us know you're coming, check out: https://lnkd.in/edj2y8Wv.