Public Theater Research Paper

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Iyvon Edebiri The Founding of The Public Theater “My basic philosophy was making theatrical entertainment accessible to the audience regardless of their ability to pay.”- Joseph Papp The story of the founding of The Public Theater is long and complex-spanning a couple of decades in fact. Officially founded in as the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1954, it began as a moving makeshift caravan committed to doing works by Shakespeare. Known as one of the leading theatres in not only in New York City, but in the country, The Public Theater has given way to many of the greatest and popular theater works spanning three generations. The Public Theater’s magic in artistically producing some of the most groundbreaking works of our time can even be …show more content…

Papp believed that in order to enhance the works of Shakespeare, considered a classic, he had to focus on doing contemporary works as well. “I’d done only Shakespeare for so long, I felt the whole notion that you can do Shakespeare alone didn’t work for actors or directors. In order to make Shakespeare alive you have to be in the contemporary theater- each aspect enriches the other.” This thought process led to Papp looking for a permanent home for new plays he would develop. The original Astor Library, located on Lafayette Street in the East Village, was an abandoned synagogue at that time and was up for sale. Papp purchased the building and the city helped fund its conversion to what we now know as The Public Theater. In 1967 the Public Theater’s building opened up and the New York Shakespeare festival added a new mandate to its mission: to produce new American plays. The first production in the new space was Hair, which was successful and further down the line moved to Broadway. The Public Theater became the administrative home of the New York Shakespeare Festival and the laboratory for many original plays and musicals by David Rabe, Elizabeth Swados, Thomas Babe, Miguel Piñero, and many others. It was also home to many actors who found recognition through their association with the Festival, such as Colleen Dewhurst, James Earl Jones, Raul Julia, Kevin Kline, and Meryl

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