Jenn Colella, Annaleigh Ashford & More Will Take Part in WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC Gala

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, PatriSUSANck Willingham; Board Chair, Arielle Tepper) announced casting today for The Public's Annual Gala, WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC on Monday, June 3 at the Delacorte Theater. Directed by Leigh Silverman, with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, the highly-anticipated summer gala under the stars will celebrate those who shaped our past and guide our future. The evening of dinner and performances at the Delacorte Theater will be hosted by Gala Co-ChairsKathryn Chenault, Faith Gay, Suzan-Lori Parks, Julie Rice, and Lauren Rosenkranz.

WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC will be an exciting evening celebrating the women who have contributed to The Public's artistic life, featuring musical performances from groundbreaking Public Theater Productions including A Chorus Line, Fun Home, Miss You Like Hell, and more. The evening will look back (and sometimes ahead!) to Shakespeare's great heroines and The Public's iconic plays and musicals, recognizing the talents and spirit of these extraordinary women.

The cast of the evening will include Annaleigh Ashford, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Alison Cimmet, Jenn Colella, Bridget Everett, Tanesha Gary, Morgan Siobhan Green, Jessica Hecht, Marva Hicks, Jayne Houdyshell, Stephanie Hsu, Bre Jackson, Courtney Jamison, Gizel Jiménez, Ramona Keller, Lisa Kron, Alyse Alan Louis, Shakina Nayfack, Suzan-Lori Parks, Krysta Rodriguez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jessie Shelton, Emily Skeggs, Diana Son, Shaina Taub, Jeanine Tesori, Katie Thompson, Alysha Umphress, Kuhoo Verma, Tatiana Wechsler, Remy Zaken, and many more.

WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC are playwrights, composers, directors, performers, and institutional leaders. Their names are inscribed on our walls, in our programs, and through our history-Ntozake Shange, Colleen Dewhurst, Jeanine Tesori, Ruby Dee, Arielle Tepper, Lynn Nottage, LuEsther T. Mertz, Susan Stein Shiva, Judith T. Peabody, Meryl Streep, Nona Hendryx...the list goes on and on. On Monday, June 3, we will tell their stories and share their voices as a testament to their lasting impact.

"I am especially proud that this year's Gala will celebrate the inspiring WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC who have made a significant impact on shaping the organization into becoming what we now know to be The Public Theater. Their extensive contributions have always been paramount and truly deserve to be honored," said Board Chair Arielle Tepper. "I'm honored to host this event with my extraordinary co-chairs Kathryn Chenault, Faith Gay, Suzan-Lori Parks, Julie Rice, and Lauren Rosenkranz, and I celebrate these brilliant women, past and present, and know The Public wouldn't be what it is today without them."

This year's celebration is inspired by the legacy of Lisa Garcia Quiroz. A former Public Theater Trustee, Lisa had a profound commitment to creating an equitable world and believed deeply in The Public's role in driving that work forward. Her passion as a visionary philanthropist on behalf of Time Warner and her belief in The Public's mission continues to light our way in all we do.

The 2019 Gala Benefit Committee includes Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Carl Spielvogel, Diana and Joe DiMenna, Yrthya Dinzey-Flores and Antonino D'Ambrosio, Andra and John Ehrenkranz, Nora Ephron and Nicholas Pileggi Foundation, Renée and Justin Greenstein, Nona Hendryx, The Miranda Family, Margaret Munzer Loeb, Elyse and Michael Newhouse, Elizabeth T. Peabody, Paula Scher, Reneé and Richard Steinberg, and Emily Tow Jackson.

The June 3 Gala will begin with cocktails and dinner alfresco at 6:00 p.m. in Central Park, followed by a one-act musical performance of songs and scenes celebrating WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC at 8:00 p.m. in the Delacorte Theater, and culminate with an after-party under the stars. (The gala rain date is Tuesday, June 4). An online auction with exciting one-of-a-kind Public Theater experiences will go live later this month.

Gala tickets start at $750 and are available by calling (212) 539-8634, online at www.publictheater.org, or via email at gala@publictheater.org. Proceeds from the Gala will help support The Public's mission of providing a home for artists who give voice to the pressing issues of our time, provide affordable access to thousands of New Yorkers with Free Shakespeare in the Park and other groundbreaking works, and strengthen the vital relationship between our artists and audiences.

ABOUT The Public Theater:

THE PUBLIC is theater of, by, and for all people. Artist-driven, radically inclusive, and fundamentally democratic, The Public continues the work of its visionary founder Joe Papp as a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation's first nonprofit theaters, The Public has long operated on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public's wide breadth of programming includes an annual season of new work at its landmark home at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, The Mobile Unit touring throughout New York City's five boroughs, Public Forum, Under the Radar, Public Studio, Public Works, Public Shakespeare Initiative, and Joe's Pub. Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public continues to create the canon of American Theater and is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 170 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 56 Lortel Awards, 34 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. publictheater.org