The 2009 Summer Play Festival is produced in association with the Public Theater.

As the nation’s foremost theatrical producer of Shakespeare and new work, The Public Theater is dedicated to achieving artistic excellence while developing an American theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays, musicals and innovative stagings of the classics.

The Public Theater has been committed to making theater that reflects the life of our city-diverse, brilliant, raw and alive. This season marks The Public’s 50th Anniversary Celebration which will feature events uptown and downtown, including two productions of Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte, six cutting edge productions in the downtown season, interactive exhibitions and provocative discussions in celebration of the theater’s rich history.

Founded by Joseph Papp as the Shakespeare Workshop and now one of the nation’s preeminent cultural institutions, The Public is an American theater in which all the country’s voices, rhythms, and cultures converge. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Mara Manus, 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.