YOUR 25/26 SEASON
"America's great strength comes from the many unique and diverse voices that make up our beloved country." (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis)
We are proud to have such an expansive community of artists participating in the 25/26 season. From playwrights returning to The Public like Ethan Lipton, Jordan E. Cooper, and John Leguizamo, to Else Went making her off-Broadway debut, to some of New York theater's greatest actors Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ruthie Ann Miles, Tony Shalhoub, and more, this upcoming season embodies The Public's founding vision of theater that is accessible, relevant, and representative of our nation's rich cultural tapestry.
“We firmly believe the quality of our work is inextricable from the diversity of voices and perspectives represented on and off our stages, and this upcoming season is a testament to that foundation.” (Executive Director Patrick Willingham)
Don’t miss a new season as vibrant as New York City itself and as fearless as the American spirit. The Public is theater of, by, and for all.
FALL 25
North American Premiere
By John Leguizamo
Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
In Association with Arena Stage
Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo is Nelson Castro, a Colombian-American laundromat owner in Queens grappling with a failing business and buried secrets in his new play THE OTHER AMERICANS. Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson directs this gripping tale of resilience.
New York Premiere
By Jordan E. Cooper
Original Songs by Donald Lawrence
Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb
Presented in Association with Baltimore Center Stage
An impending flood is the least of the Johnson family’s troubles in this outrageous reimagining of Noah’s Ark from Tony Award-nominated writer and director duo Jordan E. Cooper and Stevie Walker-Webb.
New York Premiere
Written and Performed by Zoë Kim
Directed by Chris Yejin
Ma-Yi Theater Company in Residence
DID YOU EAT? (밥 먹었니?) is Zoë Kim’s autobiographical journey through love’s many forms–how it’s learned, given, and reflected inward. This is a poetic love letter to the inner child, and hopefully yours too. Directed by Chris Yejin.
World Premiere
Adaptation, Music, and Lyrics by Ethan Lipton
Based Upon the Play The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder
Choreography by Sunny Min-Sook Hitt
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Obie Award-winning playwright and songwriter Ethan Lipton brings his irreverently funny new musical THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS to The Public this fall. A rollicking adaptation of Thorton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, this new musical about age-old problems tells the twisting, often absurd 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.
World Premiere
By Else Went
Directed by Emma Rosa Went
A bittersweet reflection on adolescence at the dawn of the new millennium, INITIATIVE charts the intertwined lives of seven teens from 2000-2004, as they become friends and more than friends, wrestle with their potential, face incalculable loss, and struggle to find their way in (and get out of) “Coastal Podunk, California.”
WINTER/SPRING 26
Created by Elevator Repair Service
Text: Ulysses by James Joyce
Co-Direction and Dramaturgy by Scott Shepherd
Directed by John Collins
January 2026
In this New York City premiere, seven performers sit down for a sober reading but soon find themselves guzzling pints, getting in brawls, and committing debaucheries as they careen on a fast-forward tour through Joyce’s funhouse of styles.
World Premiere
By Anna Ziegler
Directed by Tyne Rafaeli
Winter/Spring 2026
A riveting take on Sophocles’ classic, ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL) reimagines the story of Oedipus’ daughter Antigone through a bold new lens. Written by award-winning playwright Anna Ziegler, this lyrical epic follows a fiercely independent young woman determined to control her own body in a kingdom ruled by archaic laws that regulate women’s autonomy.
World Premiere
By Julissa Reynoso and Michael J. Chepiga
Directed by Doug Hughes
Winter/Spring 2026
In 1982, seven-year-old Julissa immigrates to the U.S from the Dominican Republic. In 2009, she leaves her successful practice at a Wall Street law firm to supervise Caribbean and Central American Affairs for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Tony Award winner Doug Hughes directs this first-hand account of the principled use of power and the enormous potential of keen intelligence, hard work, and good will, to bridge seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
World Premiere
By Jeena Yi
Directed by Mei Ann Teo
Ma-Yi Theater Company in Residence
Winter/Spring 2026
JESA by Jeena Yi, directed by Mei Ann Teo, is a riotous and heart-wrenching new play that explodes the idea of the “perfect family gathering.” When four estranged Korean American sisters reunite in Orange County to perform their father’s Jesa—a traditional ritual honoring the dead—old wounds erupt, secrets surface, and ghosts (literal and emotional) refuse to stay buried.
SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY
Mobile Unit is a modern reimagining of Joseph Papp’s Mobile Theater, inspired by Ten Thousand Things Theater in Minneapolis, MN. The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit breaks down economic and geographic barriers to the arts by meeting our communities where they are—staging free professional theater productions in local neighborhood venues such as libraries, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and community centers across all five New York City boroughs. Over the years, Mobile Unit has served thousands of audiences with critically acclaimed productions.
In Summer 2026, Mobile Unit returns to tour the city with free performances of a Shakespeare play across the five boroughs.
Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park is one of the cornerstones of The Public Theater’s mission. Since its inception, over six million people have enjoyed more than 160 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at The Delacorte Theater. Conceived by founder Joseph Papp to make great theater accessible to all, Free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of The Public’s vision of artistic excellence and free access to culture.
PUBLIC WORKS, a major artistic program of The Public Theater, aims to restore and build community by connecting people through the creation of extraordinary works of art. Public Works is animated by the idea that theater is a place of possibility, where the boundaries that separate us from each other in the rest of life can fall away. Working with partner organizations in all five boroughs, Public Works invites community members to take classes, participate in programming, attend performances, and join in the creation of ambitious works of participatory theater.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS
Joe’s Pub at The Public celebrates nearly three decades as a home for visionary artists in music, comedy, cabaret, and other forms of live performance, with a new season of artist development programs and nightly performances. The recipient of the 2025-26 Joe’s Pub Vanguard Residency is eminent artist, and the performer Justin Vivian Bond, who will curate a year of performances throughout the 2025-26 season.
EMERGING WRITERS GROUP (EWG) is a program that provides key support and resources for writers at the early stages of their careers. Writers are selected bi-annually and receive a two-year fellowship facilitated by The Public’s New Work Development department. EWG meets twice a month for peer feedback on plays in progress as well as special sessions that connect the group to the wider landscape of New York City theater.
The Public Theater is hosting cultural critic Jose Solís’ BIPOC Critics Lab in the 2025-26 season. After successfully hosting the 2024-2025 cohort and the 2023-2024 cohort, The Public is honored to continue Solís’ commitment to creating an educational space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) writers in the realm of cultural criticism. Applications for the 25-26 cohort will open at the end of May.
Watch Me Work is a communal work session for anyone eager to nurture and sustain their creative process. Facilitated by Public Theater Playwright-in-Residence Suzan-Lori Parks and the New Work Development department, Watch Me Work takes place via Zoom sessions and HowlRound livestreams that you can join at home, at school, or in a coffee shop from anywhere in the world!
