Public Theatre Introduces New Artistic Staff for 52nd Season

The Public Theater has expanded its artistic staff this fall to coincide with the start of its 52nd Season.  Mandy Hackett, who has been at the Public for the past two years as Associate Producer, has been named Associate Artistic Director where she will work closely with Artistic Director Oskar Eustis on new play development and special projects, such as the recent staging of In Darfur and the upcoming Hair concerts at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

Jenny Gersten, who was the Artistic Director at Naked Angels for the last two and a half years, joins the Public as Associate Producer.  Gersten will work directly with Eustis to oversee all the downtown productions at the Public as well as the summer line-up at The Delacorte.   

Peter Dubois, who is currently directing the LAByrinth Theater Company's production of A View From 151st Street and has been an associate producer at the Public for four years, has been named Resident Director, continuing a long tradition of resident directors at the Public that have included George C. Wolfe, Michael Greif, David Greenspan, AJ Antoon, Wilford Leach and Gerald Freeman.

Heidi Griffiths has been casting at The Public for more than 16 years.  She was a casting assistant for two and a half years and then promoted to casting director for the last 14 years.  She will now join Jordan Thaler as co-head of the casting department.

The Public Theatre was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, productions of Shakespeare, and other classics at its headquarters on Lafayette Street and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.  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. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 40 Tony Awards, 141 Obies, 39 Drama Desk Awards, 23 Lucille Lortel Awards and 4 Pulitzer Prizes.