World Premiere Musical Based on The Skin of Our Teeth Part of New Public Season

The Public Theater’s artistic director Oskar Eustis and executive director Patrick Willingham have announced the lineup for the Public’s 2025-26 season at their Astor Place theater. The Public season will feature five world premieres, including a musical by Obie Award winner and Emerging Writers Group alumnus Ethan Lipton, based on Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Skin of Our Teeth, and three New York premieres, including one by Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo.

The season will kick off with the New York premiere of The Other Americans by John Leguizamo (Latin History for Morons) and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney). Presented in association with Arena Stage, the play will run September 11-October 12. Leguizamo plays Nelson Castro, a Colombian-American laundromat owner in Queens grappling with a failing business and buried secrets when his son Nick returns from a mental wellness facility after a traumatic incident. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The season also includes the New York premiere of Oh Happy Day! from Ain’t No Mo’ Tony Award-nominated writer and director duo Jordan E. Cooper and Stevie Walker-Webb and featuring original songs by Donald Lawrence. Presented in association with Baltimore Center Stage, this reimagining of Noah’s Ark runs October 2-26. Oh Happy Day! will feature Cooper, with additional casting to be announced at a later date.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the world premiere musical The Seat of Our Pants features an adaptation, music, and lyrics by Ethan Lipton (No Place to Go), choreography by Sunny Min-Sook Hitt, and direction by Leigh Silverman (Suffs). Running October 23-November 30, this new musical tells the twisting story of the Antrobus family, who have been alive for 5,000 years but live in the same existential dread as the rest of us. The cast includes Ally Bonino (Suffs) as Fortune Teller, Bill Buell as Turkey/Ensemble, Damon Daunno (Oklahoma!) as Henry Antrobus, Andy Grotelueschen (Tootsie) as Announcer/Ensemble, Amina Faye (Six) as Glady Antrobus, Allison Ann Kelly as Ensemble/Musician, Nat Lopez as Ensemble, Ruthie Ann Miles (The King and I) as Mrs. Antrobus, Geena Quintos as Mammoth/Ensemble, and David Ryan Smith as Ensemble. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) by Anna Ziegler (Photograph 51) and directed by Tyne Rafaeli (Usual Girls) will run in the winter/spring of 2026. It reimagines the story of Oedipus’ daughter Antigone as it follows a fiercely independent young woman determined to control her own body in a kingdom ruled by archaic laws that regulate women’s autonomy. The cast includes Tony winners Celia Keenan-Bolger (To Kiill a Mockingbird) and Tony Shalhoub (The Band’s Visit), with additional casting to be announced at a later date.

In addition to the mainstage season, the Public’s programming includes nightly performances at Joe’s Pub’s, artistic programs including Mobile Unit and Public Works, and artist development programs.

Click here for more information about the season.