Public Square The Public Theater

From open air to on the air - RICHARD II comes to the radio courtesy of WNYC!  Multi-hyphenate artist Alec Stephens III sits down with RICHARD II director Saheem Ali and Shakespeare scholar Ayanna Thompson to interrogate the relevance of the Bard's work amidst a pandemic and the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement, and why shifting from a stage production to a radio play may be the future for audience accessibility. 

May is Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, so we sat down with Francis Jue, Kendyl Ito, and Jaygee Macapugay to reflect on their experiences in Soft Power, Wild Goose Dreams, and what it means to be an artist in a time that is uniquely difficult for theater, and especially for Asian Americans. We also talk about representation, creating new work, and some unexpected dream roles for the future. 

In this episode, we sit down with Pentagram partner and world-renowned designer Paula Scher to dive into her 25+ year long love affair with The Public and hurdles that identity designers must face in an ever changing landscape.

In this episode, we chat with Company Dramaturg Jesse Cameron Alick and Director of New Artists Jack Phillips Moore about what it means to develop new work for the theater, their advice for aspiring artists, and why dramaturgy, like love, is an action.

Hosted by Reynaldi Lindner Lolong and Fernando Masterson
Featuring Jesse Cameron Alick and Jack Phillips Moore

Bryan Joseph Lee, head of our Public Forum program, talks with us about all the ways that we create space for conversation and engagement around the work on our stages, ranging from our free monthly Civic Salon series to a mobile tour around the city. We also explore what it means to make these spaces more equitable, both from the artistic and administrative perspective.  We debrief a little about Under The Radar, and Props Master Jay Duckworth explains why the best thing about creating props isn't the object, but the ride. 

Episode music by Michael Friedman
Hosted by Reynaldi Lindner Lolong and Fernando Masterson
Featuring Bryan Joseph Lee and Jay Duckworth

This month we're putting the spotlight on roles that happen behind the scenes to make the work possible. Stage Managers Alyssa Howard (For Colored Girls...) and Buzz Cohen (A Bright Room Called Day) tell us why being a stage manager is like "dancing with the play", and Operations Associate Mariana Ortiz shares the connection between facilities, operations, and the artistic process. 

Episode music by Michael Friedman
Hosted by Reynaldi Lindner Lolong and Fernando Masterson
Featuring Buzz Cohen, Alyssa Howard, and Mariana Ortiz