A contemporary study of New York's Public Theater, told through the eyes of its artists and practitioners working throughout the years of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis (2015 - present day), and which tells of hits such as
Fun Home and
Hamilton as well as Public Works and Shakespeare in the Park.
Since its founding by Joseph Papp in the 1950s, The Public Theater has been an American artistic leader defined by its breadth of programming, from Hair and A Chorus Line, to Free Shakespeare in the Park. With the recent critical and financial success of Fun Home and Hamilton, and its emphasis on new play development, The Public's contemporary history has been equally remarkable, even as world crises and social changes have tested the mettle of its foundation of accessible and “radically inclusive” theatre for all.
One Public presents the broader organization, its creative methodology, and its enormous growth over the past 20 years. Framed by the tenure and leadership of its current artistic director, the book tells the contemporary story, recorded over many interviews with iconic practitioners and performers ranging from Diane Paulus, Tony Kushner and Lynn Nottage to Kevin Kline, Chelsea Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Case-study driven, One Public uses oral history accounts and authorial experience to illuminate The Public Theater, Eustis and their cultural influence on the city of New York and the greater United States. The story highlights the successes and challenges of an institution at once espousing a mission of inclusivity and community-based arts creation, while also developing Broadway hits and international fame.
Arvustused
The first book to hold a mirror up to an American theatre in the pandemic era. . . . The Public's leadership role in the field and the challenge of adhering to its increasingly relevant principles make One Public a compelling case study. As American theatre in the 2020s stands on 'the ledge of survival,' this book will be an instructive read for anyone interested in knowing how the field can endure. * American Theatre * Informative and very readable ... [ an] excellent overview of an iconic theatre. * British Theatre Guide * Bring[ s] the theatres, productions, the personnel and the ideas of One Public to life. . . . Thoroughly inspiring. . . . This is a book worth reading and rereading. * Robin's Room * Landis is deft at weaving together history, institutional aspirations, and personalities to create an honest and compelling account of one theaters visionary efforts to create art everyone can access. In meticulously dissecting the story of the Public Theater using interviews from dozens of artists One Public feels as alive as the artform it describes. Landis doesnt shy away from addressing the upheaval the Public and its Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis face as COVID and demands for racial equity force a slow art form and a large institution to change with the same fervor it brings to its historic productionswonderfully chronicled here. Landis passion for theater pops off every page making this book essential reading for anyone who believes in the power of live stories to enrich our culture and our nation. * P Carl, Distinguished Artist in Residence, Emerson College * A compelling read. . . . There should be more scholarship that focuses on these singular institutions in American theater. . . . I want more. * On TAP podcast *
Muu info
A contemporary study of New York's Public Theater, told through the eyes of its artists and practitioners working throughout the years of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis (2015 - present day), and which tells of hits such as Fun Home and Hamilton as well as Public Works and Shakespeare in the Park.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter One: One Public
The Park
Chapter Two: Delacorte Summers
Chapter Three: Under the Lights
Interlude: Kenny Leon and Beowulf Boritt
Lafayette
Chapter Four: Four Twenty-Five
Chapter Five: Coming Home
Interlude: Justin Vivian Bond and Bridget Everett
Broadway "Bound"
Chapter Six: Building the Disco
Chapter Seven: Listen to Me
Interlude: Lin-Manuel Miranda
To the People
Chapter Eight: Courting Controversy
Chapter Nine: The American Neighborhood
Interlude: Kwame Kwei-Armah
Hope
Chapter Ten: Rebirth
Epilogue: Oskar Eustis
Afterword 2025: Putting it to Bed
Notes and Sources
Index
Kevin Landis, PhD, MFA is Professor and Director of the Theatre and Dance Program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA. His numerous published works range from culinary/theatrical intersections, to mobile Shakespeare, to American drag, and a book on performance anthropology. He has written about the Public Theater in American Theatre Magazine ("The Public Theater's Mobile Unit", March 2017) and served as a visiting scholar at the company.
