Cush Jumbo & Janet McTeer to Lead All-Female THE TAMING OF THE SHREW as Part of 2016 Shakespeare in the Park; Full Lineup Set!

The Public Theater will celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death in 2016 with free Shakespeare in the Park beginning in May, along with other affordable Bard programming at Astor Place and the Delacorte Theater, it was announced today. As part of Oskar Eustis' 10th Anniversary season, free Shakespeare in the Park this summer will feature an all-female version of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and featuring Olivier Award nominee Cush Jumbo as Katherina and Tony Award winner Janet McTeer as Petruchio, followed in July by TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

Now in its fourth year, Public Works' musical adaptation of TWELFTH NIGHT will play for free at the Delacorte in early September, and will be conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub, with music and lyrics by Taub and directed by Kwei-Armah. Downtown at Astor Place; the Mobile Unit's ROMEO & JULIET, directed by Lear deBessonet, will play for three weeks from April 11-May 1 following a free tour of the five boroughs. On Monday, June 6, The Public's Annual Gala at the Delacorte will be a star-studded one-night-only celebration of Shakespeare's 400-year legacy.

In conjunction with the start of the Shakespeare in the Park summer season, The Public will be partnering with the New-York Historical Society and 92nd Street Y to present First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare, published in 1623, as part of the Folger Shakespeare Library's nation-wide tour celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. Containing the first published scripts of 36 of Shakespeare's most famous plays-including Hamlet, Macbeth and As You Like It-the First Folio will be on display at the New-York Historical Society for six weeks for free, beginning June 7. To celebrate this magnificent book and the playwright who changed the world, there will be a series of events and conversations planned about the work and world of William Shakespeare.

"Four hundred years after Shakespeare's death, he continues to be central to our understanding of ourselves," said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "Phyllida Lloyd's all-female version of The Taming of the Shrew and Dan Sullivan's modern take on Shakespeare's tale of perpetual war, Troilus and Cressida, are this summer's blazing contributions to our ongoing dialogue with the greatest writer in the English language."

Celebrating its tenth year as the lead sponsor of free Shakespeare in the Park, Bank of America continues its leadership sponsorship in support of The Public's mission and Shakespeare in the Park.

"At Bank of America, we believe that the arts have the ability to bring people together, and strengthen local economies," said Bank of America Global Arts and Culture Executive Rena DeSisto. "Free performances like Shakespeare in the Park that are open to the public ensure that everyone has access to the arts."

Since 1962, over five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte Theater. Conceived by Joe Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, The Public's free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of the Company's mission to increase access and engage the community.

This summer, the Tony nominated director Phyllida Lloyd turns Shakespeare's zany comedy of the sexes THE TAMING OF THE SHREW on its head, with an all-female cast and a bold new take. Lovely Bianca is the prize to be won by all the men looking to land themselves a wealthy wife. But the competitors will first have to marry off Bianca's clever, fiery older sister, Katherina played by Olivier nominee Cush Jumbo, who may just outsmart them all. Tony and Olivier winner Janet McTeer plays Petruchio, the wild outsider Katherina must outwit, in Shakespeare's original screwball comedy showing the lengths men will go to for their legacy, what women will do to break free and the outrageous things we all do for the human heart.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW was first staged at the Delacorte Theater in 1978, directed by Wilford Leach and featuring Meryl Streep as Katharine and Raúl Julia as Petruchio. It was again staged in 1990, directed by A.J. Antoon and featuring Tracy Ullman as Katherina, Morgan Freeman as Petruchio, and Helen Hunt as Bianca. It was last staged there in 1999, directed by Mel Shapiro and featuring Allison Janney as Katherina and Jay O. Sanders as Petruchio.

Tony-winning director Daniel Sullivan returns to the Park this summer to direct one of the Bard's most rarely produced plays, TROILUS AND CRESSIDA. Both warriors and lovers play hard to get in this surprisingly modern epic about the hot blood, hot thoughts and hot deeds of the ancient Greeks. In the seventh year of the Trojan War, Troilus, a young prince, pines for the affections of Cressida, a bright young woman who knows how to play it cool. Meanwhile, the heroes of the Iliad - Ajax, Ulysses, Achilles and the kings they serve - debate whether to return the dangerously beautiful captive Helen or continue to fight without end. Nations and lovers alike do battle in this sly, piercing drama about romance and revenge in a world at war.

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA was first staged at the Delacorte in 1965, directed by Joseph Papp, featuring Richard Jordan as Troilus, Flora Elkins as Cressida, and James Earl Jones as Ajax. It was last seen at the Delacorte in 1995, directed by Mark Wing-Davey, featuring Neil Huff as Troilus, Elizabeth Marvel as Cressida, Tamara Tunie as Helen, and Stephen Spinella as Pandarus.

Tickets to The Public Theater's FREE Shakespeare in the Park are distributed, two per person, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park on the day of the show. The Public Theater will again offer free tickets through our Virtual Ticketing lottery on the day of the show at www.publictheater.org. The Delacorte Theater in Central Park is accessible by entering at 81st Street and Central Park West or at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Summer Supporters will be available again this year for those who want to support free Shakespeare in the Park by making a tax-deduction contribution (starting at $200) and receiving a reserved seat for one production during the summer. The Partners Program also offers insider access through invitations to private backstage events, talks with artists, priority reserved seating at the Delacorte, and complimentary tickets to the downtown season at The Public and Joe's Pub. To learn more, or to make a contribution call (212) 967-7555, or visit www.publictheater.org.