James Earl Jones, Cynthia Nixon & More Set for SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA Public Forum on 6/30

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that a special free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, will take place on Monday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, with a line-up that includes Sarah Amengual, Michael Cerveris, Colman Domingo, James Earl Jones, Cynthia Nixon, Annie-B Parson, Steven Pasquale, and Michael Stuhlbarg, celebrating the world's greatest writer, American-style. Highlights of the evening will include James Earl Jones reading a scene from Othello, marking his return to the Delacorte after a 40-year absence and celebrating the 50th anniversary of his playing Othello on the Delacorte stage; Michael Cerveris reading a letter by John Wilkes Booth; and Steven Pasquale singing Tony in the "Tonight" duet from West Side Story.

Following the success of last summer's free Public Forum at the Delacorte, the acclaimed "theater-of-ideas" series returns to the alfresco venue to explore how Shakespeare has challenged and inspired the American people, from poets to presidents. This free one-night-only event will feature scenes from Shakespeare's greatest works performed by some of America's greatest actors, songs from musicals inspired by the Bard, as well as excerpts from the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro, which includes speeches, interviews, and other writings about Shakespeare's influence on American culture.

Free Public Forum tickets will be distributed two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, June 30 at the Delacorte Theater. Free tickets will also be available via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org on the day of the event. Public Forum Supporter tickets are also available for a tax-deductible donation of $75.

"Telling the story of Shakespeare in America means telling the story of America," said Public Forum Director Jeremy McCarter. "It's a thrill to have so many of the country's greatest actors and leading cultural figures show us how Americans have been affected by Shakespeare - and how we have made him our own."

PUBLIC FORUM presents the theater of ideas. Curated by Jeremy McCarter, this Public Theater series of conversations and performances features leading voices in politics, media, and the arts. Alec Baldwin, Anne Hathaway, Cynthia Nixon, Sam Waterston, and former NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman have hosted its programs, which have featured the insights of David Brooks, David Byrne, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Tony Kushner, Rachel Maddow, Wynton Marsalis, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Salman Rushdie, David Simon, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Sondheim, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and young veterans of the war in Afghanistan - plus performances by Christine Baranski, Matt Damon, Holly Hunter, Audra McDonald, and Vanessa Redgrave, among others.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos