Instead it's an intelligent, beautifully read ..." Stacy Keach played the role with an all-star cast at Joseph Papp's Delacorte Theatre in the early 70's, with Colleen Dewhurst's Gertrude, James Earl Jones's King, Barnard Hughes's Polonius, Sam Waterston's Laertes and Raul Julia's Osric.

The theater is named in honor of George T. Delacorte Jr., who donated money for its establishment, after several seasons presented by Papp's Shakespeare Workshop ( founded in 1954 ) had been touring New York's boroughs on temporary staging and had proved the venture worthwhile.

At Papp's death, The Public Theatre was renamed The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.

The overall effect, however, of that legislative initiative and Papp's other " Save the Theatres " efforts was to slow destruction of the old Theatre District enough to eventually ensure preservation of a number of other historic playhouses and to retain a measure of the District's original flavor, atmosphere, charm and historic character for future generations.

After an early residency at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York, the company began performing at Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater, and other venues in New York and elsewhere.

He graduated from Juilliard in 1986, after which, joined the New York City theatre with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre.

Continuing her work with Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, Greene next essayed the role of Jenny in The Three Penny Opera at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in Lincoln Center for which her performance was nominated for a Tony Award.

He performed with Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in productions of Shakespeare's plays, such as The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice and As You Like It.

" My eyes are fully open " ( with some changed lyrics ) was used in Papp's production of The Pirates of Penzance.

Scott first rose to prominence for his work with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival.

" She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O ’ Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early dramas on live television, and Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival.

" This production also inaugurated Azito's association with Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, which continued with another Brecht-Weill musical, Happy End ( 1977 ).

He wanted to bring it to New York ( either Broadway or Central Park ), but balked when his Amherst faculty advisor explained to Papp that, contrary to Papp's published claim, Steinman was never threatened with " near-expulsion " from the college.

Papp's 1956 production of Taming of the Shrew, outdoors in the East River Amphitheatre on New York's Lower East Side, was pivotal for Papp, primarily because Brooks Atkinson, known as the dean of American theatre critics, went downtown to see it and endorsed Papp's vision in The New York Times.

In 1968 he founded the Ontological-Hysteric Theater, which began as an art-oriented project in the New York district of Soho, and later moved to a semi-permanent " home " at Joseph Papp's Public Theater.

The production later moved to Joseph Papp's The Public Theater in New York City, where it starred Tommy Lee Jones and Peter Boyle.

The Public is dedicated to embracing the complexities of contemporary society and nurturing both artists and audiences, as it continues Joseph Papp's legacy of creating a place of inclusion and a forum for ideas.

It has received several modernised productions, including Joseph Papp's 1981 production on Broadway, which ran for 787 performances, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, and spawned many imitations.

Willis also played a lead role in the off-Broadway production Bullpen for four years which was written and directed by Dennis Watlington that was also presented at Joseph Papp's Public Theater.

At the time, Shue was preparing for his first big Broadway role, in Joseph Papp's The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

After this ground-breaking musical ( which theatricalized its performers ' true-life stories ) transferred to a highly lucrative Broadway run, the show's earnings became a continuous financial support for Papp's work.

In 1982, Curry took the part of the Pirate King in the Drury Lane production of Joe Papp's version of The Pirates of Penzance opposite George Cole, earning enthusiastic reviews.

Gold is also known as an actress in musical theatre, having starred in numerous shows in the West End, beginning with Joe Papp's London production of The Pirates of Penzance in 1982.

At 12 she had a role in Joseph Papp's production of The Cherry Orchard with Meryl Streep.

Among numerous examples of these creations were the works of David Rabe, Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Charles Gordone's No Place to Be Somebody ( the first off-Broadway play to win the Pulitzer Prize ), and Papp's production of Michael Bennett's Pulitzer-Prize winning musical, A Chorus Line.

At the Public Theater, Papp's focus moved away from the Shakespearean classics and toward new work.

Just as Rabe's work reflected the concerns of its time ( Vietnam and American imperialism ), Papp's production in 1985 of Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart dared to address, in its time, the prejudicial political system which was turning its back on the AIDS crisis and the gay community.

Papp's aesthetic included an egalitarian, political vision.

Papp's initiative was sparked by the impending demolition in 1982 of the historic Morosco and Music Box theatres, as well as the old Piccadilly Hotel, on West 45th Street.

Sam Waterston later played the role himself at the Delacorte for the New York Shakespeare Festival, and the show transferred to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in 1975 ( Stephen Lang played Bernardo and other roles ).

In August 2010, The Capeman was staged for three nights in the Delacorte Theatre in New York's Central Park.

Notable later 20th century productions include the Hilton Edwards ' 1959 production at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, starring Milo O ' Shea and Anna Manahan ; John Barton's 1960 Royal Shakespeare Company ( RSC ) production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, starring Peter O ' Toole and Peggy Ashcroft, and which included both the complete Induction and the epilogue from A Shrew ; Maurice Daniels's 1961 RSC production at the Aldwych Theatre, starring Derek Godfrey and Vanessa Redgrave ; Trevor Nunn's 1969 RSC production also at the Aldwych, starring Michael Williams and Janet Suzman ; Clifford Williams ' 1973 RSC production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, starring Alan Bates and Susan Fleetwood ; William Ball's 1976 commedia dell ' arte-style production at the American Conservatory Theater ; Wilford Leach's 1978 production at the Delacorte Theater, starring Raúl Juliá and Meryl Streep ; Barry Kyle's 1982 RSC production at the Barbican Centre, starring Alun Armstrong and Sinéad Cusack ; Toby Robertson's 1986 production at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru, starring Timothy Dalton and Vanessa Redgrave ; Jonathan Miller's 1987 RSC production at the Barbican, starring Brian Cox and Fiona Shaw ; A. J.

In 1980, Routledge played Ruth in the Joseph Papp production of The Pirates of Penzance co-starring American actor Kevin Kline and pop vocalist Linda Ronstadt, at the Delacorte Theatre in New York City's Central Park, one of the series of Shakespeare in the Park summer events.

This legacy of Papp has continued ( through 2010 ) at the open-air Delacorte Theatre every summer in Central Park.

Papp was also a Gilbert and Sullivan lover, and in 1980, to commemorate the centenary of The Pirates of Penzance, he mounted a new staging of the opera at The Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

Dewhurst played Shakespeare's Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth for Papp and, years later, Gertrude in a production of Hamlet at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

At New York City's Shakespeare in the Park Festival from June 18 to July 14, 1996 at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, Braugher played the title role in Henry V for which he received an Obie Award.

Phillips performed in many plays in New York over the next fifteen years, including Terrence McNally ’ s Lips Together, Teeth Apart for Manhattan Theatre Club ( at the Lucille Lortel Theatre ), Measure for Measure with Kevin Kline for the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater, the premier of the musical My Favorite Year at Lincoln Center, with Tim Curry and Andrea Martin, as well as revivals and new plays at theatres like the Hudson Guild Theatre, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, the American Jewish Theatre, Chelsea Theatre Center, and again at Playwrights Horizons.

The band provided the music for the 2009 Public Theatre production of Shakespeare's " Twelfth Night " at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, featuring Anne Hathaway in the role of Viola.

One of the gates, near the Shakespeare Garden in front of the Delacorte Theatre, was vandalized and replaced frequently.

The production played at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, NYC from July 23 to September 1, 2012.

He made his dance debut in a public performance at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

She has appeared in many Off-Broadway productions, including the musical Francis in 1981 at the York Theatre at St. Peter's, The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1985 at the Public Theater's Delacorte Theatre, Birds of Paradise in 1987 ( Promenade Theatre ), Privates on Parade ( Roundabout Theatre ) in 1989, the musical Song of Singapore in 1991, the Michael John LaChiusa musical Hello Again at the Lincoln Center Mitzi Newhouse Theatre in 1993, Twelve Dreams at the Mitzi Newhouse Theatre in 1995, and Helen at the Public Theater / New York Shakespeare Festival in 2002.