Fortune Society (Queens) News

The Public Theater will kick off the 2015-16 season in September with a free Public Works musical adaptation of Homer's THE ODYSSEY, conceived and directed by Public Works Director Lear deBessonet, with music, lyrics and book by Todd Almond. THE ODYSSEY will once again feature over 200 actors and community members alongside five equity actors, including this year Brandon Victor Dixon as Odysseus, Karen Olivo as Penelope and Taran Killam as Cyclops.

The Public Theater announced today that it will continue its commitment to bringing free Shakespeare to the community and strengthening audience engagement with the arts by expanding its MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT to include a spring touring production of MACBETH to the five boroughs. Directed by Edward Torres, the free Mobile Unit tour (April 24 - May 14) will bring free Shakespeare to audiences who have limited or no access to the arts by visiting prisons, homeless shelters, and other community venues, including stops at our Public Works community partner venues: Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn, Fortune Society in Queens and DreamYard Project in the Bronx. Following the three-week tour, MACBETH will have a limited sit-down run at The Public Theater from May 17 through June 7, with an official press opening on Wednesday, May 20. The Mobile Shakespeare Unit toured Pericles last fall.

Continuing its commitment to bringing free Shakespeare to the community and strengthening audience engagement with the arts, The Public Theater will mount its MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT again this October with a free three-week tour to the five boroughs of Shakespeare's PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE, directed by Rob Melrose.

The Public Work's original musical adaptaion of The Winter's Tale, conceived and directed by Lear deBessonet, with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock, runs for three nights only starting tonight through Sunday, September 7 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The production team recently released a first glimpse of the show. Scroll down to see production photos!

The Public Theater begins free performances for the community-based Public Works production of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE, conceived and directed by Obie Award winner Lear deBessonet, with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock tonight, September 5.

Featuring Public Works' signature blend of professional actors, community partner organizations, and special guests, Public Works' THE WINTER'S TALE will explode with authentic performances that come together to tell Shakespeare's beloved fable of hard-won joy and the promise of renewal for just three nights at the Delacorte in Central Park.

The Public Theater will begin free performances for the community-based Public Works production of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE, conceived and directed by Obie Award winner Lear deBessonet, with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock on Friday, September 5. This original musical adaption will run for three nights only through Sunday, September 7 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater and via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org.

Following last year's acclaimed Public Works production of The Tempest, The Public Theater will continue this community-based initiative this September with a free original musical adaptation of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE. Featuring more than 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs performing alongside professional actors and The Public's community partners, Public Works' THE WINTER'S TALE will run for three nights only, September 5-7, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater and via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org.

Following last year's acclaimed Public Works production of The Tempest, The Public Theater will continue this community-based initiative this September with a free original musical adaptation of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE. Featuring more than 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs performing alongside professional actors and The Public's community partners, Public Works' THE WINTER'S TALE will run for three nights only, September 5-7, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater and via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org.

Continuing its commitment to bringing Shakespeare to the community and strengthening audience engagement with the arts, The Public Theater will mount its MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT again this November with a free three-week tour to the five boroughs of Shakespeare's comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and featuring choreography by Chase Brock. The three-week mobile tour (November 4-22) will bring free Shakespeare to audiences who have limited or no access to the arts by visiting prisons, homeless shelters, centers for the elderly, and other community venues, including stops at our Public Works community partner venues: Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn, Fortune Society in Queens and DreamYard Project in the Bronx.

The Public Theater announced today that Todd Almond (Ariel), Laura Benanti (Goddess), Carson Elrod (Caliban), Jeff Hiller (Trinculo), Norm Lewis (Prospero), and Jacob Ming-Trent (Stephano) have been cast in the free, original musical adaptation of THE TEMPEST, part of The Public's groundbreaking new initiative for community-based theater, PUBLIC WORKS. Directed by Public Works Director Lear deBessonet, with music, lyrics and book by Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock, THE TEMPEST will run September 6 through September 8 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

The Public Theater has announced a groundbreaking new initiative for community-based theater, PUBLIC WORKS, that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year. In its inaugural year, PUBLIC WORKS will create an extraordinary example of participatory theater with a free, original musical adaptation of THE TEMPEST at the Delacorte Theater, inspired by a 1916 community theatrical event of Caliban by the Yellow Sands at the stadium at City College in New York.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) will take its MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT on tour again this July with a production of RICHARD III, directed by Amanda Dehnert. The three-week tour, July 16 to August 3, will bring free Shakespeare to audiences who have limited or no access to the arts before a sit-down run at The Public Theater, August 6-25. Tickets for Richard III at The Public are $15 and go on sale July 12.

The same time The Public Theater is in previews for Daniel Sullivan's acclaimed production of The Merchant of Venice on Broadway, The Public Theater announced it would expand its Shakespeare Initiative to include a new platform for the production of Shakespeare's works: THE MOBILE UNIT.