De'Adre Aziza, Brandon Dirden, Bianca Amato, and More Join Casts of DETROIT '67 and NEVA

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham) announced today that single tickets are on sale for the spring 2013 season at The Public's newly revitalized downtown home at Astor Place that will include new plays and musicals as well as the return of acclaimed downtown artists Richard Foreman, Guillermo Calderón, Alex Timbers and David Byrne along with the world premiere of a Public Theater Emerging Writers' Group Playwright Dominique Morisseau.

Single tickets are available for the spring season by calling (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at The Public Theater box office at 425 Lafayette Street. The Library at The Public will also be open nightly this spring for food and drink, beginning at 5:30 p.m., and Joe's Pub will continue to offer some of the best music in the city.
Following The Public's 2013 Under the Radar Festival in January, the Public Lab production, DETROIT '67 by Dominique Morisseau, will begin performances in February with a complete cast that features De'Adre Aziza, Francois Battiste, Brandon Dirden, Samantha Soule, and Michelle Wilson.

March will introduce the English language premiere of NEVA, written and directed by Guillermo Calderón with a complete cast that features Bianca Amato, Luke Robertson, and Quincy Tyler-Bernstine. Calderón's Diciembre was a hit at The Public's Under Radar Festival in 2011.

OLD-FASHIONED PROSTITUTES (A TRUE ROMANCE), written, directed, and designed by Richard Foreman, will be presented in April with the recently announced Public Lab musical, VENICE, with book by Eric Rosen, music by Matt Sax and Eric Rosen, premiering in May. Tickets for the world premiere musical, HERE LIES LOVE, with concept and lyrics by David Byrne, music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, directed by Alex Timbers, and choreographed by Annie-B Parson will go on sale at a later date.

Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, DETROIT '67 by Dominique Morisseau will begin performances Tuesday, February 26 and run through Sunday, March 17, with an official press opening on Tuesday, March 12. All single tickets to this Public Lab production are $15.

It's 1967 in Detroit and Motown music gets the party started. Chelle and her brother Lank transform their basement into an after-hours joint to make ends meet. But when a mysterious woman winds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and the flames of the '67 Detroit riots engulf them all. DETROIT '67 is presented in association with the Classical Theatre of Harlem and The National Black Theatre.

March will feature the English language premiere of NEVA, written and directed by Guillermo Calderón, with an English translation by Andrea Thome. NEVA begins performances on March 1 and runs through Sunday, March 31, with an official press opening on Monday, March 11.

In a politically charged, haunting yet humorous meditation on theater and the revolutionary impulse, Chilean writer-director Guillermo Calderón's NEVA tells the story of Anton Chekhov's widow, the actress Olga Knipper, who arrives in a dimly lit rehearsal room in St. Petersburg in the winter of 1905. As Olga and two other actors await the rest of the cast, they huddle together, act out scenes from their lives and muse on their art form and love - while, unseen, striking workers are being gunned down in the streets by the Tsarist regime. Calderón savagely examines the relationship between theater and historical context in this ominous and tightly crafted work that allows a palpable terror to creep through the theater walls.

Richard Foreman returns to The Public in April with OLD-FASHIONED PROSTITUTES (A TRUE ROMANCE). Written, directed, and designed by Foreman, the show begins performances at The Public on Tuesday, April 30 and runs through Sunday, June 2, with an official press opening on Monday, May 6.

Snapshots from an enigmatic fairy-tale in which Suzie, the elusive coquette, brings Samuel to his knees - from where he worships a life he only half understands. OLD-FASHIONED PROSTITUTES (A TRUE ROMANCE) is an expressionistic chamber-play that twists emotional heartache into a landscape of continual mental invention, marking the return to theater of a celebrated artist who the New York Times has dubbed "the Godfather of the American avant-garde." It is presented in association with Ontological-Hysteric Theater.

VENICE, a new musical with book by Eric Rosen, music by Matt Sax and Eric Rosen, and additional music by Curtis Moore, will be the final show in The Public's sixth season of Public Lab. Directed by Eric Rosen, VENICE will begin on Tuesday, May 28 and run through Sunday, June 23, with an official press opening on Thursday, June 13. All single tickets to this Public Lab production are $15.

An electrifying new musical, VENICE will ignite the stage with a fusion of musical styles from hip-hop and rock to soaring anthems of love and hope, tracing a young man's rise as he fights for what's right against a backdrop of deceit and sibling betrayal. Part epic romance, part political tale, VENICE will transport you to a fallen city in the not-so-distant future where revolution is in the air, political structures are crumbling, and only the children of the city's fallen heroes can change the course of history. If you dream of peace, follow us. If you dream of freedom, follow us. If you know these are not the same thing, well... are you ready?

The spring 2013 season will also include HERE LIES LOVE, a world premiere musical with concept and lyrics by David Byrne, music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, directed by Alex Timbers, and choreographed by Annie-B Parson. HERE LIES LOVE will run Tuesday, April 2 through Sunday, May 5, with an official press opening on Tuesday, April 23. Tickets for this production will go on sale at a later date.

Within a throbbing dance club environment, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct the astonishing journey of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos and her meteoric rise and subsequent descent into infamy. This wholly immersive spectacle combines disco beats, adrenaline-fueled choreography, and a remarkable 360-degree scenic and video environment - to go beyond Imelda's near-mythic obsession with shoes and explore true questions of power and responsibility.

Directed by two-time Obie Award-winner Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Peter and the Starcatcher), HERE LIES LOVE is a unique theatrical experience that raises the pulses and quickens the blood - all filtered through the remarkable vision of David Byrne, one of the great American artists of the last half century.

Completed in October 2012, the revitalization of The Public Theater's downtown home at Astor Place physically manifests the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences by dramatically opening up its landmark building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. Designed by Ennead Architects and constructed by Westerman Construction, the project encompasses enhancements to the building's interior and exterior while preserving the historic structure. Key elements of the design include infrastructure updates to the 158-year old building, as well as construction of new exterior entry stair and glass canopy; installation of ramps for improved accessibility; an expanded and refurbished lobby; the addition of a mezzanine level with a new lounge, The Library, designed by the Rockwell Group; expansion and remodeling of restroom facilities; and comprehensive exterior restoration, ensuring stability of the landmark façade.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. www.publictheater.org