PUBLIC WORKS
Public Works
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. Public Works deliberately blurs the line between professional artists and community members, creating theater that is not only for the people, but by and of the people as well. Public Works exemplifies The Public's long-standing commitment to putting community at the core of the theater's mission. Public Works seeks to create a space where we can not only reflect on the world as it is, but where we can propose new possibilities for what our society might be. The Public Works model continues to be adopted by theaters across the country, and around the world.
COMING UP
This season’s Public Works production is a powerful concert experience of PERICLES, the Bard’s epic about losing and re-discovering faith.
Reconceived by playwright and songwriter Troy Anthony, this magnificent new production performed by Public Works community members from all over New York City, is a celebration of life, love, and transformation. Inspired by Gospel music and the rousing power of the Black church, this new concert adaptation will be performed in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Associate Artistic Director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem Carl Cofield directs.
Additional information coming soon!
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PUBLIC STORIES
April 2024. PUBLIC STORIES, a performance series created and directed by Julian Goldhagen, showcases the true, personal stories of New Yorkers from across the city. Featuring members of the Public Works community, each performance draws on various narrative forms and weaves together stories around a common theme. Public Stories is an expression of the Public Theater's mission to create performance that is OF, BY, and FOR the people of New York City.
10 SECOND STORIES
10 SECOND STORIES, a community storytelling project created and directed by Julian Goldhagen, celebrates the 10th anniversary of Public Works. Featuring short stories from over 100 members of the Public Works community, this video archive reflects memories and experiences from the first ten years of the program (2012 - 2022). Individual narratives are compiled in one place to tell the collective story of what it means to be Public Works.
THE SEED PROJECT
November 2020. THE SEED PROJECT is an ambitious work of collaborative and participatory art across the nation. Community members from the Public Works National Partners and Affiliates \are responding to the prompt: “Today, I am planting a seed of ..." These offerings for the future are being turned into large-scale pieces of public art. In New York, Public Works has collected responses from 150 community members and used them to create a large-scale projection to cover the entire facade of 425 Lafayette.
UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE
A documentary created with Art Docs focusing on the 2017 Public Works production of AS YOU LIKE IT. Performed by 200 New Yorkers of all ages and boroughs. Co-adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, original choreography by Sonya Tayeh, and direction by Laurie Woolery. The production was set to remount in 2020 but halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This film tracks the creation of the show and how this resilient community banded together amidst the crises of 2020.
PUBLIC WORKS' VIDEO ARCHIVE
Featuring videos highlighting more than 10 years of PUBLIC WORKS. Check out highlights from past productions, behind-the-scenes looks at projects and classes, and filmed discussions and panels that emphasize the many ways PUBLIC WORKS builds community and connects people through theater.
WHO WE ARE
Community partnership is the foundation of Public Works. We collaborate with eight partner organizations across New York City.
WHAT WE DO
In New York City
Between our annual productions, Public Works community members gather for year-round programming throughout the city designed in collaboration with our local partner organizations.
- We offer weekly or biweekly CLASSES at our community partner organizations, taught by master teaching artists and tailor-made to serve the artistic interest of each community.
- Monthly POTLUCKS give us all an opportunity to share a meal, celebrate our achievements and present the creative projects people have been working on throughout the year.
- Programming also includes a community choir, a quarterly newsletter, attending plays, member-run leadership committees, and ACTivate, a theater-making program that puts community in the artistic driver’s seat.
- And all this programming culminates in ambitious participatory theater PRODUCTIONS. Once a year, our vast community comes together to create an extraordinary, large-scale production: the Public Works Pageant, a musical adaptation of a classic story featuring residents from all over the city and performed at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.
Across the Country and Around the World
The Founding Public Works National Partners are:
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Dallas Theater Center (Dallas, TX)
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The National Theatre’s Public Acts (London and nationally, England)
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Seattle Repertory Theatre (Seattle, WA)
In 2019 and 2023, Public Works welcomed seven Public Works National Affiliates: Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT), National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts - Weiwuying (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), Philadelphia Theatre Company (Philadelphia, PA), Pittsburgh Public Theater (Pittsburgh, PA), Theatre Under The Stars (Houston, TX), Trinity Repertory Company (Providence, RI), Tulsa Performing Arts Center and Trust (Tulsa, OK). The Public Works National Alumni theaters are: Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk, VA), and Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA).
This network of theaters gathers to share practices and help build momentum around community-based theater nationwide. Collectively, we are seeking to put theater at the heart of every community, and community at the heart of every theater.
Special thanks to David & Jackie Abell and The Venable Foundation.
