PBS Airs Two-Part Documentary on the Public Theater, Oct. 21 and 28
By: BWW News Desk Oct. 19, 2005
"The Public at 50" will be aired on WNET (Channel Thirteen) on October 21st and 28th at 9:30 PM (check local listings). Presented as part of the series "New York Voices," it will boast interviews with actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith, playwright Tony Kushner, playwright John Guare, actor Sam Waterston, actress Donna McKechnie, actor Roscoe Lee Browne, composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa and former New York Times drama critic Frank Rich, as well as with former artistic director George C. Wolfe and current artistic director Oskar Eustis (who began his job with the Public this season). Gail Merrifield Papp, the widow of founder Joseph Papp and the former head of play development at the theatre, will also be featured, as will Bernard Gersten, who was the associate producer at the Public for 17 years (he now produces at Lincoln Center).
The program will chronicle the history of the Public Theater, which is "an American theater in which all the country's voices, rhythms, and cultures converge," according to the Public's website. "The Public is dedicated to embracing the complexities of contemporary society and nurturing both artists and audiences, as it continues Joseph Papp's legacy of creating a place of inclusion and a forum for ideas." Founded by Papp as the New York Shakespeare Festival and encompassing Shakespeare in the Park productions and Joe's Pub concerts in addition to its regular line-up of plays, the Public Theater will present LaChiusa's musical See What I Wanna See, Rinne Groff's play The Ruby Sunrise and others this season.
For more information, visit www.thirteen.org. For more on The Public Theater and its 2005-2006 season, visit www.joespub.org.
Videos
