A THOUSAND WAYS (PART TWO): AN ENCOUNTER to Have New York Premiere Live at The Public Theater

The Public Theater announced today the New York premiere of A THOUSAND WAYS (PART TWO): AN ENCOUNTER, inviting audiences to take part-in-person-in the continuation of this acclaimed work from 600 HIGHWAYMEN (Abigail Browde and Michael Silverstone). While the first part engaged two remote participants-often thousands of miles apart-in an automated hour-long phone call, PART TWO: AN ENCOUNTER brings together new pairs of strangers to share physical space in the creation of a private piece of theater. Seated in an empty room, at opposite ends of a table, and separated by a pane of plexiglass, participants follow prompts on a set of notecards, venturing together into cinematically vivid bouts of imagination. The experience invites us to reconsider, in real time, what we think we know about a person-including ourselves-at a moment when virtual interactions have flattened our co-existences. A THOUSAND WAYS (PART TWO): AN ENCOUNTER will take place in several locations at The Public Theater, beginning on Tuesday, June 8, and will run through Sunday, August 15.

In advance of PART TWO: AN ENCOUNTER, The Public brings back A THOUSAND WAYS (PART ONE): A PHONE CALL for an encore presentation following a sold-out run in the 2021 Under the Radar Festival. The return engagement of A THOUSAND WAYS (PART ONE): A PHONE CALL will begin on Thursday, May 20, and will run through Sunday, July 18.

"Abby and Michael have proven to be among our most extraordinary experimental theatermakers. A Thousand Ways is their gentle, intimate, and profoundly moving welcome back to the world post-COVID," said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "Great troubles can bring forth immense creativity, and the life-affirming brilliance of these artists is a reminder not only that there is still life, but there is still joy."

"In this introspective year, it's been an absolute honor to know that in over 25 cities and 12 countries around the world-and now in four languages-strangers are coming together night after night, across phone lines and through glass planes, to imagine one another and, in the process, create a kind of community with and for one another," said writers and creators 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Abigail Browde and Michael Silverstone. "We cannot wait to bring it back to our home city with The Public."

A THOUSAND WAYS, eventually a three-part work, is being presented around the world by cultural institutions including Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF) and University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA); ANTI Contemporary Art Festival (Finland); Arizona Arts Live at The University of Arizona; The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi (UAE); Boom Arts (Portland, OR); Canadian Stage (Toronto); Center for the Art of Performance UCLA; Carolina Performing Arts (Chapel Hill); Dublin Theatre Festival (Ireland); Festival Theaterformen (Hanover, Germany); In Between Time (Bristol, UK); La Jolla Playhouse; the Momentary (Crystal Bridges, Bentonville, AR); Noorderzon Festival (Groningen, Holland); Norfolk/Norwich Festival (UK); On the Boards (Seattle); Singapore International Festival of the Arts; SPRING (Utrecht); Stanford Live; Take Me Somewhere (Glasgow); Theater Garonne (Toulouse, France); Volkstheater (Vienna); Walker Art Center (Minneapolis); and Williams College (North Adams, MA).

A THOUSAND WAYS is executive produced by ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann. Andrew Kircher serves as dramaturg and project designer. Stanley Mathabane is the sound designer for A THOUSAND WAYS (PART ONE): A PHONE CALL. Cynthia J. Tong is the line producer.

At the heart of The Public's return to performances this summer is our commitment to health and safety protocols that ensure A THOUSAND WAYS is a safe experience for our staff, artists, and audiences. In accordance with the New York State guidelines for indoor gatherings, the theater's capacity will be limited. The Public will also be implementing the following policies in accordance with current guidelines from New York State and the City of New York: all patrons over the age of two must wear an approved face mask at all times and present a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the performance time; a negative rapid antigen test taken within 6 hours; or proof of full vaccination completed at least 14 days prior to performance date, along with a brief health questionnaire to be completed before arriving at the theater. Contactless temperature checks will be administered upon arrival and all patrons and staff must maintain physical distancing of six feet from others at all times. Policies may be updated at The Public's sole discretion, and subject to evolving New York State and City of New York guidelines.

This season has been unlike any The Public has experienced before. The Public continues to be unable to gather fully in-person in theaters and is navigating immense challenges because of the global coronavirus pandemic, and in response to the long overdue reckoning around racism in the country and in the theater community, The Public has begun interrogating its practices and systems to move closer to being an inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist organization. This is a moment of uncertainty, transformation, action, and accountability. There is much work to be done, but The Public's mission has not changed, and artists and their voices play a critical role in this moment too.

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