Joseph Papp News

Rehearsals are underway for The Public Theater's world premiere of ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL), a new play by 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Anna Ziegler and directed by Drama Desk, Drama League, and Lucille Lortel nominee Tyne Rafaeli. Check out photos from rehearsals here!

What's happening off-Broadway? BroadwayWorld is here to guide you through the top picks for theatre this month. February is filled with world premieres featuring well-known stars. See the full list!

The Public Theater has revealed the complete cast for the world premiere of Public Charge, a bracing new play based on true events written by former United States Ambassador Julissa Reynoso and award-winning playwright Michael J. Chepiga.

The Public Theater and Elevator Repair Service will begin previews for the New York City premiere of Ulysses directed by John Collins, with co-direction and dramaturgy by Scott Shepherd. The production has been extended Off-Broadway.

Submissions are currently open for Royal Family Productions ‘s 2026 artist fellowship in partnership with Ann Hairston, honoring the legacy of her father, William R. Hairston Jr., a trailblazing Black actor, playwright, and cultural leader whose career spanned stage, screen, and public service.

During Zohran Mamdani's mayoral inauguration ceremony, Broadway's Mandy Patinkin led a performance of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow', featuring a pubic high school choir from Staten Island. Check out the video here!

Ma-Yi Theater Company and The Public Theater will present the world premiere of JESA, written by Jeena Yi in her playwriting debut. Directed by Mei Ann Teo, performances are set to begin at The Public Theater.

Broadway’s master songman, Mandy Patinkin, accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano, will bring his newest theatre concert Mandy Patinkin in Concert: BEING ALIVE, to the Carpenter Center.

The Public Theater has revealed additional cast members for the world premiere of ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL), a new play by 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Anna Ziegler.

Royal Family Productions has announced a 2026 artist fellowship in partnership with Ann Hairston, honoring the legacy of her father, William R. Hairston Jr. — a trailblazing Black actor, playwright, and cultural leader.

The iconic rock musical Hair is back in a bold new Brazilian production directed by Charles Möeller and Claudio Botelho. Opening at São Paulo’s BTG Pactual Hall, the show celebrates the spirit of the 1960s counterculture — peace, love, and rebellion — through powerful anthems like Aquarius and Let the Sunshine In. With a cast of 30 led by Rodrigo Simas and Eduardo Borelli, this vibrant staging fuses rock, poetry, and raw emotion to explore freedom, identity, and protest in a turbulent era. Nearly six decades after its debut, Hair still pulses with youthful defiance and idealism, inviting audiences to sing, reflect, and feel the rhythm of a revolution that never truly ended.

Mandy Patinkin, accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano, will bring his newest theatre concert Mandy Patinkin in Concert: JUKEBOX, to Westport Country Playhouse for one performance only.

In a new video, viewers are invited backstage at the newly revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to Free Shakespeare in the Park. Check out the video, which dives into the history of the space and the approach to the recent updates.

MART Foundation’s production of SEAGULL: TRUE STORY, written by Eli Rarey and created and directed by Alexander Molochnikov, has been added to The Public’s 2025-2026 season.

Ma-Yi Theater Company has released first look photos of the New York premiere of DID YOU EAT? (밥 먹었니?), written and performed by Zoë Kim. Originally scheduled to close on Sunday, November 9, the production has now extended through Sunday, November 16.

The world might be ending in Ethan Lipton’s The Seat of Our Pants, but in rehearsal Ruthie Ann Miles, Micaela Diamond, and Amina Faye are singing through it anyway. Because what else can you do? Watch the song in rehearsals in this video.

The Public Theater will begin previews for the world premiere of THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, the irreverently funny musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth. See rehearsal photos here!

At Teatro VillaLobos, the Broadway classic takes on a new life under the direction and choreography of Bárbara Guerra, who updates the visuals with large screens and real-time projections without losing the soul of the original, with a fine-tuned cast that delivers moving performances in numbers like 'At the Ballet' and 'What I Did for Love'. Metalinguistic and vibrant, the production celebrates the dreams, pain, and persistence of those who live to dance.

Ma-Yi Theater Company and The Public Theater begin previews for the New York premiere of DID YOU EAT? (밥 먹었니?), written and performed by Zoë Kim. The production has been extended. Learn more!

We had the pleasure of interviewing Darko Tresnjak about his career and Murder on the Links at TRT.