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Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Liev Schreiber, and Other Luminaries Unveil Revitalized Public Theater

New York City

October 4, 2012

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Cast members from the Public’s production of Hair leads the crowd in “Let the Sunshine In.”
(© David Gordon)

Laurie and Oskar Eustis flank Public favorite Liev Schreiber and his young son Samuel at the theater’s rededication.
(© David Gordon)

Vanessa Redgrave, who appeared as Cleopatra in the Public’s production of Antony and Cleopatra, and Jay O. Sanders, whose many Public roles include Titus Andronicus, Sir Toby Belch, and Bottom, were on hand to christen the theater by reciting verses from Shakespeare.
(© David Gordon)

Mandy Patinkin, who most recently starred in the Public’s production of Compulsion, helped inaugurate the new space by reading a line of Shakespeare.
(© David Gordon)

Ben Rubin’s Shakespeare Machine is an ever-changing installation which features fragments of Shakespeare’s words displayed onto 37 LED screens.
(© David Gordon)

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg took time out of their busy schedules to recite the words of the Bard.
(© David Gordon)

Colman Domingo, whose new play Wild With Happy begins at the Public on October 9, joins his Passing Strange co-creator Stew to help unveil the revitalized building.
(© David Gordon)

Stage and screen favorite S. Epatha Merkerson has appeared in many productions at the Public Theater, including Suzan-Lori Parks’ F**king A.
(© David Gordon)

Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis poses with monologist Mike Daisey, whose controversial piece The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs had two successful runs on Lafayette Street.
(© David Gordon)

A Hair family reunion at the Public: composer James Rado with cast members Mike Evariste and Kacie Sheik.
(© David Gordon)

The newly-expanded box office is backed by show logos.
(© David Gordon)

Linda Emond most recently appeared at the Public in Tony Kushner’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures.
(© David Gordon)

Actress Kathryn Grody smiles for the camera with Gail Merrifield Papp, the widow of Public Theater founder Joseph Papp and the former head of the theater’s play development department.
(© David Gordon)

Costume designer Susan Hilferty gets close to her frequent collaborator, playwright Richard Nelson, whose new election-themed work Sorry begins at the Public on October 30.
(© David Gordon)

Tonya Pinkins appeared to great acclaim in the Public Theater’s production of Caroline, or Change, which later transferred to Broadway.
(© David Gordon)

Chip Zien appeared this past summer as the Mysterious Man in the Public’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Into The Woods.
(© David Gordon)

A view of the newly-created mezzanine balcony which overlooks the lobby.
(© David Gordon)

Stage veteran Andre De Shields was on hand to view the Public’s unveiling.
(© David Gordon)

Stage and screen veteran Gloria Reuben’s Public Theater appearances include Stuff Happens and Conversations in Tusculum.
(© David Gordon)

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer attended the ceremony and perfected his acting skills by reciting Shakespeare.
(© David Gordon)

A host of stage luminaries including Vanessa Redgrave and Liev Schreiber were on hand to help The Public Theater reveal the results of the $40 million revitalization to its Astor Place home at a ceremony held on Thursday, October 4. The unveiling caps off four years of renovations to the interior and exterior of the historic building, which was originally constructed in 1853 as the Astor Library.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined artistic director Oskar Eustis and executive director Patrick Willingham to welcome the assembled crowd, as did Luis A. Ubiñas, the President of the Ford Foundation, for which the newly upgraded lobby will be named.

The ceremony featured Redgrave, Schreiber, Public Theater favorites Colman Domingo, Mandy Patinkin, Jay O. Sanders, Stew, David Henry Hwang, Suzan-Lori Parks, Diana Son, and others including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer reading off lines of Shakespeare to christen the restored home. Cast members from the Public’s production of Hair led the crowd in a rendition of “Let The Sunshine In.”

In rejuvenating the downtown theater mecca, Ennead Architects LLP added a new glass and steel canopy to the entrance, restored the building’s brownstone facade, added a grand staircase and ramps for added accessibility, as well as restored the ceilings and archways within the building. They also added a new centrally located box office, a new entrance to Joe’s Pub, ADA-accessible restroom facilities, and a public mezzanine and balcony with seating area.

Other additions include the installation of Shakespeare Machine, a work designed by Ben Rubin that features 37 LED displays on which fragments of Shakespeare’s plays will appear, along with the creation of The Library at the Public, a cocktail lounge full-service bar on the mezzanine level, designed by David Rockwell of Rockwell Group.

To commemorate the occasion, the Public will hold a block party on Saturday, October 13 which will invite audience members to preview upcoming productions, sample the new cuisine, and explore the building.

An eight-week series of events, featuring talks and film-showings, will kick off on October 10.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Liev Schreiber, and Other Luminaries Unveil Revitalized Public Theater

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