One Public: New York's Public Theater in the Era of Oskar Eustis

Description

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: New York's Public Theater in the Era of Oskar Eustis 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.

Kevin Landis, PhD, MFA is Professor and Director of the Theatre and Dance Program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. His numerous published works range from culinary/theatrical intersections, to mobile Shakespeare, to American drag, to a book on performance anthropology. He is a visiting scholar at The Public Theater.

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 * Landis is deft at weaving together history, institutional aspirations, and personalities to create an honest and compelling account of one theater's 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 doesn't 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 productions-wonderfully 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 *