Longtime Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis Will Step Down in 2028

Public Theater board chair Luis A. Miranda Jr. and cochair Pat Fili-Krushel have announced the 2028 departure of longtime artistic director Oskar Eustis, who will step down from the position after 23 years on July 31, 2028. Eustis will step down at the end of his current contract, which coincides with the end of the Public’s 60th anniversary season at Astor Place. his departure date marks his 70th birthday.

In a statement, Eustis shared, “I have long hoped that my 70th birthday would be the right moment for me to pass this magnificent theater on to the next generation, and I believe that indeed, the perfect time has arrived. The theater has come through the storm of the last six years with its mission intact, robust and thriving. The Public is ready to tackle new challenges with all the integrity and creativity it has shown for the last 70-plus years.”

The Public’s Board of Trustees will begin a national search for its next Artistic Director this fall, with the goal of announcing a successor in 2027 That will allow for a thoughtful transition before Eustis departs. Executive Director Patrick Willingham, will continue in his role.

Eustis’s tenure included a full renovation of the Delacorte Theater, landmark productions including Hamilton, Fun Home, Hair, Sweat, Eclipsed, Passing Strange, Here Lies Love, The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino and Lily Rabe, Twelfth Night with Anne Hathaway and Audra McDonald, Mother Courage with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, and multiple productions by artists including Michael Friedman, Alex Timbers, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tony Kushner, John Legiuzamo, Shaina Taub, and Richard Nelson, among others.