The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that the 2009 Shakespeare in the Park summer season will begin in June with a new production of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT directed by Daniel Sullivan and featuring Academy Award nominee Anne Hathaway as Viola. TWELFTH NIGHT will run June 9-July 12 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. In August, JoAnne Akalaitis will return to direct Euripides's THE BACCHAE, translated by Nicholas Rudall, and featuring original music by Philip Glass. THE BACCHAE will run August 11-September 6.
This summer kicks off with a powerhouse production of one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies. The Public welcomes Academy Award Nominee Anne Hathaway as she makes her Public Theater debut playing Viola, one of the canon's most charming heroines. This beguiling comedy follows the romantic adventures of Viola and her identical twin Sebastian, both shipwrecked in the enchanted dukedom of Illyria. At the helm of this time-honored story of cross-dressing and mistaken identity, all in the name of love, is Tony Award-winning director Daniel Sullivan.
TWELFTH NIGHT has been produced by The Public Theater in Central Park six times since 1958. The first production was directed by Joseph Papp with a cast that included Maria Tucci, William Windom and Peter Bogdanovich.
The second Shakespeare in the Park production will be Euripides's THE BACCHAE, translated by Nicholas Rudall, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, and featuring original music by Philip Glass. THE BACCHAE will run August 11-30.
THE BACCHAE will be presented as it was always meant to be seen - in the open air of the city. Akalaitis' visionary interpretation, featuring a lush choral score by Glass, re-imagines the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire.
"With Shakespeare's most glittering comedy paired with the greatest of the Greek tragedies, the full range of human experience will be in the park this summer," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "Anne Hathaway, one of our most brilliant young actresses, will be making her Public Theater debut under the inspired direction of Daniel Sullivan; and JoAnne Akalaitis, whose long history with the Public stretches over 30 years, will be returning for the first time in 15 years to create theater in the open air of the city with one of the greatest composers of our time, Philip Glass."
