Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson & More to Join A BRIEF INTERMISSION

The Public Theater's special, one-night-only event, A BRIEF INTERMISSION, will take place Wednesday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The evening, a celebration of the venue’s illustrious 61-year history and upcoming revitalization, features the Tony Award-winning hip-hop, improv, musical comedy group Freestyle Love Supreme, conceived by Anthony Veneziale and created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anthony Veneziale. Freestyle Love Supreme will be joined by creator Miranda, Tony nominee Christopher Jackson, and other special surprise guests throughout the evening. A BRIEF INTERMISSION marks the final performance at The Delacorte before it is temporarily closed for an 18-month renovation—the largest in its history—before it returns as a more accessible theater for all in 2025.

“The artists and supporters who make up The Public Theater community are gathering to celebrate 61 years of Free Shakespeare in the Park and to mark the brief intermission while we renovate The Delacorte into an even more beautiful version of itself. The theater we will return to in the summer of 2025 will be more modern, more welcoming, and completely accessible for audiences, staff, and artists,” said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “This night is about celebrating—greeting long-time friends and colleagues, remembering the electric nights in the park we've shared together, and letting the hilarious and humanistic Freestyle Love Supreme remind us of what live performance can do that nothing else can. A night of wonder, a night of joy, a night when we affirm the civic ritual that is Free Shakespeare in the Park. It is at the center of what makes New York City great.”

The Freestyle Love Supreme line-up features Utkarsh Ambudkar aka “UTK the INC,” Andrew Bancroft aka “Jelly Donut,” Richard Baskin aka “Rich Midway,” Aneesa Folds aka “Young Nees,” James Monroe Iglehart aka “J-Soul,” Kaila Mullady aka “Kaiser Rözé,” Bill Sherman aka “King Sherman,” and Anthony Veneziale aka “Two Touch.”

The Public Theater, in partnership with Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, is embarking on a much-needed revitalization of the 61-year-old Delacorte Theater. The plan—a major investment in outdoor cultural space as part of New York’s economic recovery—will dramatically improve the home of Free Shakespeare in the Park, addressing critical infrastructure, accessibility, and theatrical needs. The approved design by Ennead Architects includes accessible and comfortable space for audiences and artists with disabilities, streamlined backstage operations and improved comfort for cast and crew, a revitalized exterior for a more dynamic aesthetic experience, a focus on resilience and sustainability, and lighting improvements, among other benefits. During the renovation, The Public will offer free outdoor programming across all five boroughs celebrating Free Shakespeare in the Park's legacy, with additional details to be announced. Free Shakespeare in the Park will return to its newly renovated home at The Delacorte in 2025. For more information on The Delacorte’s revitalization, visit thepublic.nyc/Delacorte-Revitalization. 

“The Public Theater, as an institution, has a lauded history of presenting extraordinary, groundbreaking theatrical productions in the heart of New York City,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr., Board Chair of The Public Theater. “Although the curtain must come down at The Delacorte Theater for a short time, Free Shakespeare in the Park is poised to return bigger, better, more accessible, and more equitable in 2025. We cannot wait to host artists and audiences in the renovated venue. But first, we will celebrate our existing space and its incredible history with A Brief Intermission on September 6, 2023.”

The evening will kick off with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. in Central Park outside The Delacorte Theater, followed by the performance at 7:00 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, A BRIEF INTERMISSION will take place on Thursday, September 7. 

Performance-only tickets for A BRIEF INTERMISSION start at $250 and are available by calling 212.539.8694, online at publictheater.org, or by emailing events@publictheater.org. Proceeds from the event will help support The Public’s revitalization of The Delacorte Theater and the organization’s mission of providing a home for artists who give voice to the pressing issues of our time, providing free and 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.

To support The Public Theater, become a Supporter or Partner by visiting publictheater.org/supporttoday.

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME 

(Performer). Conceived by Anthony Veneziale and created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anthony Veneziale in 2004 before In the Heights and Hamilton, Freestyle Love Supreme pays homage to John Coltrane's “A Love Supreme,” with a nod to musical roots in jazz, soul, blues, and hip-hop. It is a blend of hip-hop, improvisational theater, music, and vocal styling, often with special surprise guests. The MCs, musicians, and beatboxers take the audience on a completely improvised musical ride, all based off of audience suggestions. The recipient of a special 2020 Tony Award, FLS has performed on stages from Cape Town to Melbourne to Edinburgh to NYC and practically everywhere in between. They are subject of the Hulu documentary “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme.” Freestyle Love Supreme was produced on Broadway by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jenny and Jon Steingart, and Jill Furman.  

The Public Theater 

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 Lab, 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 60 Tony Awards, 190 Obie Awards, 57 Drama Desk Awards, 61 Lortel Awards, 36 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, 62 AUDELCO Awards, 6 Antonyo Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. publictheater.org