The Public Theater Plans Major Renovations

The New York Times reports that the Public Theater is set to undergo major renovations including a mezzanine balcony that projects over the lobby and for the famed outside, a new gradual staircase leading up to the entrance and a glass canopy to shield people from the rain.

These renovations to the Public Theater, reports The Times, will be the first time that the building's facade and entrance have been significantly changed since 1967, when Joseph Papp moved his theater for the people into the former Astor Library on Lafayette Street.

"We talk about the feel of it a lot," said Oskar Eustis, the Public's artistic director to The New York Times. "It's going to be a welcoming thing without being overpowering. It's not going to feel monumental. It's going to feel gentle and not particularly ornate." To read the full article click here.

Construction is expected to begin in February and to be completed by August 2011.

The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Executive Director) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, productions of Shakespeare, and other classics at its headquarters on Lafayette Street and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 41 Tony Awards, 145 Obies, 39 Drama Desk Awards, 24 Lucille Lortel Awards and 4 Pulitzer Prizes.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street.

 

 

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