Public Theater Presents 2 Productions of Shakespeare in Central Park in 2005

The Public Theater, George C. Wolfe, producer; Mara Manus, executive director, are pleased to announce it will restore its tradition of presenting two summer productions for the 2005 season of Shakespeare in Central Park at The Delacorte. A production of As You Like It, directed by Mark Lamos will kick off The Public Theater's year-long 50th anniversary celebration, marking the first time As You Like It has been presented at The Delacorte in over a decade.

Executive Director Mara Manus stated, "Joe Papp's mission of presenting free Shakespeare to New Yorkers is central to the institution, so we are thrilled to return to two shows in the park as we embark on our 50th anniversary celebration and look forward to the next 50 years."

Free Shakespeare in Central Park has long been one of New York's most beloved cultural traditions, with nearly 80,000 people attending each summer.

As You Like It is scheduled to begin performances on Tuesday, June 25st and continue through Sunday, July 17th. As previously announced, The Public will also present A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by George C. Wolfe. Performances are scheduled to begin Tuesday, August 9th and continue through Sunday, September 4th.

Mark Lamos (Director). During his seventeen-year tenure as artistic director of the Tony Award-winning Hartford Stage, Lamos directed 15 productions of Shakespeare. Additional credits include The Rivals, Big Bill and Measure for Measure (Lortel Award) at Lincoln Center Theater. Broadway: Our Country's Good (Tony nomination), Fascinating Rhythm, The Deep Blue Sea (Roundabout). Off-Broadway: Albee's Tiny Alice (Lortel Award); Baitz's The End of the Day; Blessing's Thief River; and Love's Fire. Regional: Kennedy Center (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof); McCarter (School for Scandal, Cymbeline); Old Globe (Pentecost, Compleat Female Stage Beauty); The Shakespeare Theatre (Midsummer Night's Dream); Guthrie (Antony and Cleopatra); La Jolla; ACT; Williamstown; Canada's Stratford Festival (Merchant of Venice); and Moscow's Pushkin Theater.

The New York Community Trust - LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities. Additional generous support is provided by Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman, JPMorgan Chase, The Laura Pels Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Mr. Kenneth B. Lerer and Ms. Katherine Sailer, Carole Shorenstein Hays, The George Delacorte Fund at The New York Community Trust - Fund for Performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Newhouse, Warren Spector and Margaret Whitton, The Starr Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Haywood, and the Booth Ferris Foundation. Public support is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. We are also deeply grateful to The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for its leadership commitment to The Public Theater's Endowment Fund in support of new work. Continental Airlines is the official airline of The Public Theater.

Founded by Joseph Papp as the Shakespeare Workshop and now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, The Public is an American theater in which all the country's voices, rhythms, and cultures converge. Under the leadership of Producer George C. Wolfe and Executive Director Mara Manus, The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Over 250,000 people annually attend Public Theater-related events at its six downtown stages including Joe's Pub, and at Shakespeare in Central Park and Joe's Pub in the Park.