ANNOUNCING: SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY 2026 — presented by Citizens!
ROMEO AND JULIET. THE WINTER’S TALE. AS YOU LIKE IT. PUBLIC WORKS. PUBLIC FORUM.
At the newly revitalized Delacorte Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park returns with two time Tony nominee Saheem Ali’s ravishing new ROMEO AND JULIET and Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan’s spellbinding THE WINTER’S TALE.
Across our city, the award-winning Mobile Unit tours a joyful new AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Emma Rosa Went, bringing free Shakespeare to parks, plazas, and correctional facilities.
And back at The Delacorte, PUBLIC WORKS and PUBLIC FORUM return with community-built theater and free civic conversations created with and for all New Yorkers.
We can’t wait to see you at The Delacorte, in your parks, and in your neighborhoods for a summer where the culture truly belongs to everyone. Free. For all. Forever.
More at thepublic.nyc/SFTC26
FREE THEATER IN CENTRAL PARK IS ALMOST BACK! 7 DAYS UNTIL FREE SHAKESPEARE RETURNS!
“All the world’s a stage”! This iconic quote comes from the legendary “Seven Ages of Man” speech in Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT. In 2012, Lily Rabe and Renée Elise Goldsberry took the Delacorte stage alongside Oliver Platt, André Holland, Stephen Spinella, and more in the beloved comedy, which returns this year as part of our Mobile Unit!
This summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to the Delacorte Theater with ROMEO & JULIET beginning May 22 and THE WINTER’S TALE later this July. Free. For All. Forever.
🎟️ Learn all 5 ways to get your free tickets: thepublic.nyc/park
The return of NAATCO’s acclaimed epic sage HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS begins June 9 at The Public!
Condensed into two parts and performed in rep, experience this epic saga of a nation spinning wildly out of control in Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company’s thrilling production of Shakespeare’s history plays, adapted and directed by Stephen Brown-Fried. “Fast-paced and gripping....” — The New York Times (Critic’s Pick)
You won’t want to miss! Get your tickets now: thepublic.nyc/HENRYVI
We’re still not over the incredibly celebrated and legendary Mia Katigbak receiving the 2026 Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement Award! ✨ Don’t miss Mia when she returns to The Public in Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company’s thrilling production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS.
“Fast-paced and gripping....” — The New York Times (Critic’s Pick)
The epic saga begins June 9! Get your tickets now: thepublic.nyc/HENRYVI
ROMEO & JULIET BEGINS IN JUST 8 DAYS!
In 1980, Kevin Kline took the Delacorte stage in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, the beloved musical adaptation that became one of the most iconic productions in Shakespeare in the Park history.
This summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to The Delacorte Theater with ROMEO & JULIET beginning May 22 and THE WINTER’S TALE later this summer. Free. For All. Forever.
🎟️ Learn all 5 ways to get your free tickets: thepublic.nyc/park
IT’S FIRST PREVIEW OF GIRL, INTERRUPED
We’re getting ready to welcome audiences tonight for the first performance of this incredible world premiere new play with music at here The Public.
A “foundational text for generations of misunderstood young women” (Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue), GIRL, INTERRUPTED transforms Susanna Kaysen’s iconic memoir into a theatrical experience shaped by memory, music, and “the margin between mental illness and artistic genius.”
Beginning tonight, Tony Award nominee Juliana Canfield and platinum recording artist King Princess take the stage alongside Gabi Campo, Mia Pak, Katherine Reis, Sally Shaw, and more in this world premiere stage adaptation.
See it first. See it at The Public.
Get tickets: thepublic.nyc/girlinterrupted
The BIPOC Critics Lab is going bi-coastal! We're thrilled to partner with The Old Globe on co-hosting cultural critic Jose Solís’ BIPOC Critics Lab!
Partnering with the renowned Old Globe across the country will allow the opportunity for even more individuals to be impacted by this program’s ability to jumpstart their careers in arts journalism. These aligned values underscore a shared investment in expanding who gets to shape critical discourse and ensuring a more inclusive and representative American theater.
Swipe to check out the 12 current members that have successfully completed their training for the BIPOC Critics Lab over the past year. These writers are passionate and eager to join the cultural conversation in both New York City and beyond. Together, they expanded what criticism can sound like and what it can make possible.
Following three successful years of the program, we're honored to continue Jose Solís’ commitment to creating an educational space for BIPOC writers in the realm of cultural criticism. Applications are now open for the 2026-27 BIPOC Critics Lab Cohort. Learn more and apply now at thepublic.nyc/BCL.
MIA KATIGBAK is one of The New York Times’ “13 Actors to See Onstage in New York — No Matter What They’re In.”
Jesse Green calls Katigbak “superb and acidic in almost any role,” writing that she “finds the sweet spot in even the sourest truths of the human condition.”
Beginning June 9th, see the legendary co-founder of NAATCO onstage at The Public in HENRY VI: A Trilogy In Two Parts, Shakespeare’s epic tale of power, loyalty, and political collapse. Directed by Stephen Brown-Fried, this bold new production reimagines the rise and fall of a fractured kingdom, performed by a thrilling ensemble of Asian American performers.
Get tickets: thepublic.nyc/henry
Introducing the Delacorte Rose at @rosevalecocktailroom , crafted by Dustin Bailey in honor of @publictheaterny 's Free Shakespeare in the Park.
Rooted in Hell's Kitchen and Joseph Papp's spirit of collaboration, this apple-forward cocktail layers Neversink gin, Laird's apple jack, chamomile grappa, and verjus honey, lifted by egg white and finished with a dusting of rose and cardamom.
A quiet nod to the romance of Shakespeare and the lush beauty of Central Park that frames every performance. #CIVILIANHotel
FREE THEATER IN CENTRAL PARK IS ALMOST BACK! 9 DAYS UNTIL FREE SHAKESPEARE RETURNS! ✨
In 2013, Alex Timbers’ musical adaptation of LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST took The Delacorte stage. The play famously features the “Nine Worthies,” a classic Shakespearean comic pageant, and the incredible production featured Colin Donnell, Rachel Dratch, Jeff Hiller, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Caesar Samayoa, Patti Murin, Daniel Breaker, and more!
This summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to the Delacorte Theater with ROMEO & JULIET beginning May 22 and THE WINTER’S TALE later this summer. Free. For All. Forever.
🎟️ Learn all 5 ways to get your free tickets: thepublic.nyc/park
YOUR FREE SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! 10 DAYS UNTIL FREE SHAKESPEARE RETURNS! ✨
10 years ago, Jose Llana, Nikki M. James, and Shaina Taub took the Delacorte stage in Public Works’ joyful, music-filled TWELFTH NIGHT, bringing Shakespeare to life for thousands of New Yorkers under the stars in Central Park.
This summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to The Delacorte Theater with ROMEO & JULIET beginning May 22 and THE WINTER’S TALE later this summer. Free. For All. Forever.
🎟️ Learn all 5 ways to get your free tickets: thepublic.nyc/park
