LAST

“this is the m

oment w

hen one stops being w

ho one thinks one is, and becom

es the person they are.”

“Do our fictions reflect the world, or is the world a distorted projection of our fictions?”

“Going out of m

y comfort zone

compels m

e to challenge my

assumptions and find value in

unexpected places.” Lee’s body of w

ork, from a variety show

tackling black stereotypes to a fem

inist m

ovement piece exploring gender

fluidity (the cast performs entirely

nude), is just that: unexpected (and provocative, and com

pelling, and good). C

oming from

a background in academ

ia with a focus on

Shakespeare, both as an undergrad and in the English PhD

program at U

C

Berkeley, Lee dove headfirst into

playwriting and m

oved to NYC

in 20

02. H

er process is unique: using the idea of discom

fort as a catalyst, she w

rites shows as she’s directing them

, w

orks collaboratively with her

performers and artistic team

, and uses feedback from

workshop audiences.

The goal is to push past an audience’s defenses against uncom

fortable subjects and ask them

to confront difficult questions. H

er rise in the experim

ental theater scene has been sw

ift and celebrated, and The Public w

as lucky enough to host her w

onderful, bizarre cabaret piece We’re

Gonna D

ie at Joe’s Pub in 2011.

Next m

onth, Lee’s newest play Straight

White M

en will have its N

ew York

premiere at The Public. The heart of

the play confronts the intersection of identity, self-w

orth, and privilege in the context of being, w

ell, straight white

men. C

hallenging and unexpected? Yes. N

ecessary? Definitely. In deep

contrast to her previous work, the

show is traditionally structured, and is

framed as a classic Am

erican father-son dram

a. During the show

’s last stretch of rehearsals in August, Lee struggled w

ith a crucial scene for an entire w

eek before she finally broke through and pointed herself in the right direction. “Learning how

to write

a naturalistic three-act drama has

been something of a torm

ent to me, but

every show is kind of like that since I’m

alw

ays trying new things.” M

oreover, as the m

ost straightforward piece she’s

ever written, she is as excited as w

e are to see how

the play is received by her typically edgy audience.

What’s next for Lee? Perhaps

filmm

aking. With a screenplay

comm

ission for Plan B/Param

ount Pictures, as w

ell as a short film, H

ere C

ome the G

irls (Locarno International Film

Festival, Sundance Film Festival,

and BAM

cinemaFest), under her belt,

Lee is already actively exploring the difference betw

een stage and screen. “O

ne thing that bothers me a lot about

theater is that shows change from

night to night. I know

for most people

that is the magic of theater, but I hate

it. I want to m

ake something the w

ay I w

ant it, and then for it to stay that way.

Film allow

s me to do that.” If her

ambitious theaterm

aking is any indication, w

e absolutely can’t wait to

see her take the film w

orld by storm.

STRA

IGH

T

WH

ITE MEN

N

ew York Prem

iere W

ritten & directed by Young Jean Lee

Featuring Austin Pendleton, Pete Sim

pson, James Stanley,

& G

ary Wilm

es N

ovember 7 – D

ecember 7, 20

14

WH

AT’S

THE

I WO

ULD

EVER

WA

NT TO

MA

KE?

SHO

WIN

THE W

OR

LD

UTR What

makes a

artistSPO

TLIGH

T ON

:M

AR

IAN

O PEN

SOTTI

New York Shakespeare Festival425 Lafayette StreetNew York, NY 10003212.539.8500 | publictheater.org

FALL 2014

After kicking off our 10th edition in

2014, U

nder the Radar C

o-Directors

Meiyin W

ang and Mark R

ussell have been keeping busy curating another festival of explosive, diverse perform

ances (coming January 7-18,

2015). In the m

eantime, w

e’re delighted to shine a spotlight on a U

TR

artist we’re particularly excited about:

MAR

IANO

PENSO

TTI.

Pensotti is the perfect example of an

Under the R

adar artist — one w

ho creates com

pelling, visually stunning

work that challenges the audience’s

perception of what theater can do.

Based in B

uenos Aires, Mariano

Pensotti has become a noted

experimental director w

orldwide. H

e has been heralded as one of Latin Am

erica’s brightest theater talents, touring around the w

orld with his

company extensively throughout the

year. The presence of his work at U

TR,

both past and future, is a testament to

his ongoing growth as an artist and

the boundaries he continues to push.

Pictured: (left) A scene from EL PASADO ES UN ANIMAL GROTESCO, photo by Almudena Crespo; A scene from CINEASTAS, photo by Carlos Furman; (right) Young Jean Lee, photo by Blaine Davis.

Pictured: (cover) The cast of PERICLES, photo by Tammy Shell. (this spread) Adam Chanler-Berat and Kyle Beltran, photo by Tammy Shell; the cast of THE WINTER’S TALE, photo by Joan Marcus; Noah Hinsdale, Griffin Birney and Sydney Lucas in FUN HOME, photo by Joan Marcus

We

call P

ublic

For

um th

e “t

heat

er

of id

eas”

– a

n im

puls

e th

at p

uts

the

thea

ter w

orld

into

co

nver

satio

n w

ith o

ther

art

ists

, in

telle

ctua

ls, a

nd p

ublic

figu

res.

Th

e Pu

blic

For

um D

ram

a Cl

ubs

this

sea

son

feat

ure

som

e su

rpris

ing

mas

h-up

s be

twee

n th

eate

r art

ists

and

the

mos

t fa

scin

atin

g th

inke

rs o

f our

tim

e.

Wel

com

e to

our

Fal

l edi

tion

of P

ublic

Look

! Th

is m

onth

, we’

re ta

king

our

sho

w o

n th

e ro

ad w

ith th

e M

obile

Sha

kesp

eare

Uni

t, pr

esen

ting

Peric

les

for f

ree

to p

rison

s, h

omel

ess

shel

ters

, and

com

mun

ity c

ente

rs

arou

nd N

ew Y

ork’

s fiv

e bo

roug

hs a

s a

part

of T

he P

ublic

’s lo

ng-s

tand

ing

com

mitm

ent t

o m

akin

g th

eate

r acc

essi

ble

to a

ll. A

s yo

u w

ill re

ad in

this

issu

e’s

mai

n fe

atur

e, th

e M

obile

U

nit i

s al

l abo

ut th

e jo

urne

y –

and

so is

the

play

! Man

y th

anks

to th

e in

cred

ible

You

ng

Jean

Lee

, pla

ywrig

ht a

nd d

irect

or o

f thi

s se

ason

’s St

raig

ht W

hite

Men

, and

to w

riter

/di

rect

or M

aria

no P

enso

tti a

nd o

ur U

nder

the

Rad

ar s

taff

for c

ontr

ibut

ing

to o

ur fe

atur

e on

thei

r wor

k to

geth

er –

pas

t, pr

esen

t and

futu

re. A

spe

cial

than

ks to

you

for y

our

ongo

ing

supp

ort,

and

we’

ll se

e yo

u do

wnt

own!

We

are

so th

rille

d th

at o

ur 2

013

prod

uctio

n of

FU

N H

OM

E, d

evel

oped

in P

ublic

Lab

then

bro

ught

to o

ur

New

man

The

ater

for a

mul

tiple

-ext

ensi

on ru

n, is

hea

ding

to B

road

way

! The

sho

w w

ill b

egin

pre

view

s on

Ap

ril 4

, 201

5 at

Circ

le in

the

Squa

re T

heat

er.

Last

mon

th, P

ublic

Wor

ks o

nce

agai

n br

ough

t jo

y to

The

Del

acor

te w

ith a

n in

cred

ible

, 20

0-p

erso

n m

usic

al a

dapt

ion

of T

HE

WIN

TER’

S TA

LE. T

he c

ast w

as a

s ric

h an

d di

vers

e as

our

city

: pro

fess

iona

l act

ors,

our

co

mm

unity

par

tner

s fr

om C

hild

ren’

s Ai

d So

ciet

y, D

ream

Yard

Pro

ject

, For

tune

Soc

iety

, Br

owns

ville

Rec

reat

ion

Cent

er, a

nd D

omes

tic

FALL

PAST

FUTURE

FUN

HO

ME

WIN

TER

’S

THE

TALE

BROA

DWAY

BOU

ND!

The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.

Wor

kers

Uni

ted,

dan

ce tr

oupe

s, a

stil

t ba

nd, p

ark

rang

ers,

and

a s

peci

al

appe

aran

ce b

y Se

sam

e St

reet

! The

sh

ow w

as a

wild

suc

cess

, and

rem

inde

d us

that

thea

ter i

s a

plac

e of

pos

sibi

lity,

w

here

the

boun

darie

s th

at s

epar

ate

us

from

eac

h ot

her i

n th

e re

st o

f life

can

fa

ll aw

ay.

When O

bie-award

winning playw

right Young Jean Lee, hailed as the “the m

ost adventurous dow

ntown

playwright of her

generation,” begins w

ork on a new project,

she asks herself,

Then she makes it.

(UTR 2012) EL PASAD

O ES U

N

ANIM

AL GROTESCO (TH

E PAST

IS A GROTESQU

E ANIM

AL)

(UTR 2015) CINEASTAS

Chec

k ou

t the

se su

perh

eroe

s in

The F

ortr

ess o

f Sol

itude

(NOW

-Nov

2)

UTR

is made possible w

ith the generous support of The How

ard Gilm

an Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the R

obert Sterling Clark Foundation.

Elizabeth

Streb

Salman Rushdie

Denis O

’Hare

Cynthia Nixon

Wallace Shawn

Margaret

Mitch

ell

THE MOBILE

SHAKESPEARE UNIT SETS SAIL

FIRST CLASS PRESORT

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNEW YORK, N.Y.

PERMIT NO. 2377

Of Montreal evolves into a fast-paced record of the past, both true and imaginary.

together from damaged photographs left behind in a photo lab and the anthem by indie rock group

Mariano Pensotti’s “fi lmic drama” threads together the lives of four fi lmmakers over the course of a year in Buenos Aires.

cross-fades, long takes—Pensotti crafts an epic tale of love, money, work, and art.

In this intricate portrait of a city and its inhabitants, a handful of actors fl uidly shift between the characters’

real lives and their fi lms on an elaborate split-screen set. By adapting cinematic techniques—voice-over,

Argentinians in a bittersweet fragmentary chronicle of a decade (1999-2009). What began as a story pieced

Epic and cinematic in scope, with a slowly revolving stage El Pasado… tracks the lives of four young

LAST

“this is the moment when one stops being who one thinks one is, and becomes the person they are.”

“Do

our f

ictio

ns

refle

ct th

e w

orld

, or

is th

e w

orld

a

dist

orte

d pr

ojec

tion

of

our f

ictio

ns?”

“Going out of my comfort zone compels me to challenge my assumptions and find value in unexpected places.” Lee’s body of work, from a variety show tackling black stereotypes to a feminist movement piece exploring gender fluidity (the cast performs entirely nude), is just that: unexpected (and provocative, and compelling, and good). Coming from a background in academia with a focus on Shakespeare, both as an undergrad and in the English PhD program at UC Berkeley, Lee dove headfirst into playwriting and moved to NYC in 2002. Her process is unique: using the idea of discomfort as a catalyst, she writes shows as she’s directing them, works collaboratively with her performers and artistic team, and uses feedback from workshop audiences. The goal is to push past an audience’s defenses against uncomfortable subjects and ask them to confront difficult questions. Her rise in the experimental theater scene has been swift and celebrated, and The Public was lucky enough to host her wonderful, bizarre cabaret piece We’re Gonna Die at Joe’s Pub in 2011.

Next month, Lee’s newest play Straight White Men will have its New York premiere at The Public. The heart of the play confronts the intersection of identity, self-worth, and privilege in the context of being, well, straight white men. Challenging and unexpected? Yes. Necessary? Definitely. In deep contrast to her previous work, the show is traditionally structured, and is framed as a classic American father-son drama. During the show’s last stretch of rehearsals in August, Lee struggled with a crucial scene for an entire week before she finally broke through and pointed herself in the right direction. “Learning how to write a naturalistic three-act drama has

been something of a torment to me, but every show is kind of like that since I’m always trying new things.” Moreover, as the most straightforward piece she’s ever written, she is as excited as we are to see how the play is received by her typically edgy audience.

What’s next for Lee? Perhaps filmmaking. With a screenplay commission for Plan B/Paramount Pictures, as well as a short film, Here Come the Girls (Locarno International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and BAMcinemaFest), under her belt, Lee is already actively exploring the difference between stage and screen. “One thing that bothers me a lot about theater is that shows change from night to night. I know for most people that is the magic of theater, but I hate it. I want to make something the way I want it, and then for it to stay that way. Film allows me to do that.” If her ambitious theatermaking is any indication, we absolutely can’t wait to see her take the film world by storm.

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN New York Premiere Written & directed by Young Jean Lee Featuring Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley, & Gary Wilmes November 7 – December 7, 2014

WHAT’S THE

I WOULD EVER WANT TO MAKE? SHOW IN THE WORLD

UTR

What makes a

artistSPOTLIGHT ON:MARIANO PENSOTTI

New

York Shakespeare Festival

425 Lafayette S

treetN

ew York, N

Y 10

00

3212.539

.850

0 | publictheater.org

FALL 2014

After kicking off our 10th edition in 2014, Under the Radar Co-Directors Meiyin Wang and Mark Russell have been keeping busy curating another festival of explosive, diverse performances (coming January 7-18, 2015). In the meantime, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on a UTR artist we’re particularly excited about: MARIANO PENSOTTI.

Pensotti is the perfect example of an Under the Radar artist — one who creates compelling, visually stunning

work that challenges the audience’s perception of what theater can do. Based in Buenos Aires, Mariano Pensotti has become a noted experimental director worldwide. He has been heralded as one of Latin America’s brightest theater talents, touring around the world with his company extensively throughout the year. The presence of his work at UTR, both past and future, is a testament to his ongoing growth as an artist and the boundaries he continues to push.

Pict

ured

: (le

ft) A

scen

e fro

m E

L PAS

ADO

ES U

N AN

IMAL

GRO

TESC

O, ph

oto b

y Alm

uden

a Cre

spo;

A sc

ene f

rom

CIN

EAST

AS, p

hoto

by C

arlo

s Fur

man

; (rig

ht) Y

oung

Jea

n Le

e, p

hoto

by B

lain

e Dav

is.

Pictured: (cover) The cast of PERICLES, photo by Tamm

y Shell. (this spread) Adam Chanler-Berat and Kyle Beltran, photo by Tam

my Shell;

the cast of THE WINTER’S TALE, photo by Joan M

arcus; Noah Hinsdale, Griffin Birney and Sydney Lucas in FUN HOME, photo by Joan M

arcus

We call Public Forum the “theater of ideas” – an impulse that puts the theater world into conversation with other artists, intellectuals, and public figures. The Public Forum Drama Clubs this season feature some surprising mash-ups between theater artists and the most fascinating thinkers of our time.

Welcome to our Fall edition of PublicLook! This month, we’re taking our show on the road with the Mobile Shakespeare Unit, presenting Pericles for free to prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers around New York’s five boroughs as a part of The Public’s long-standing commitment to making theater accessible to all. As you will read in this issue’s main feature, the Mobile Unit is all about the journey – and so is the play! Many thanks to the incredible Young Jean Lee, playwright and director of this season’s Straight White Men, and to writer/director Mariano Pensotti and our Under the Radar staff for contributing to our feature on their work together – past, present and future. A special thanks to you for your ongoing support, and we’ll see you downtown!

We are so thrilled that our 2013 production of FUN HOME, developed in Public Lab then brought to our Newman Theater for a multiple-extension run, is heading to Broadway! The show will begin previews on April 4, 2015 at Circle in the Square Theater.

Last month, Public Works once again brought joy to The Delacorte with an incredible, 200-person musical adaption of THE WINTER’S TALE. The cast was as rich and diverse as our city: professional actors, our community partners from Children’s Aid Society, DreamYard Project, Fortune Society, Brownsville Recreation Center, and Domestic

FALL

PAST

FUTURE

FUNHOME

WINTER’S

THE

TALE

BROADWAY BOUND!

The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.

Workers United, dance troupes, a stilt band, park rangers, and a special appearance by Sesame Street! The show was a wild success, and reminded us that theater is a place of possibility, where the boundaries that separate us from each other in the rest of life can fall away.

When Obie-award winning playwright Young Jean Lee, hailed as the “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation,” begins work on a new project, she asks herself,

Then she makes it.

(UTR 2012) EL PASADO ES UN

ANIMAL GROTESCO (THE PAST

IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL)

(UTR 2015) CINEASTAS

Check out these superheroes in

The Fortress of Solitude (NOW-Nov 2)

UTR is made possible with the generous support of The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.

Eliza

beth

Streb

Salm

an R

ushd

ie

Denis

O’Har

e

Cynth

ia Nixo

n

Wall

ace S

hawn

Mar

garet

Mitc

hell

THE M

OBILE

SHAKESPEARE

UNIT SETS SAIL

FIRST CLASS PRESORT

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDNEW

YORK, N.Y.PERM

IT NO. 2377

Of Montreal evolves into a fast-paced record of the past, both true and im

aginary.

together from damaged photographs left behind in a photo lab and the anthem by indie rock group

Mariano Pensotti’s “fi lm

ic drama” threads together the lives of four fi lm

makers over the course of a year in Buenos Aires.

cross-fades, long takes—Pensotti crafts an epic tale of love, money, work, and art.

In this intricate portrait of a city and its inhabitants, a handful of actors fl uidly shift between the characters’

real lives and their fi lms on an elaborate split-screen set. By adapting cinematic techniques—voice-over,

Argentinians in a bittersweet fragmentary chronicle of a decade (1999-200

9). What began as a story pieced

Epic and cinematic in scope, with a slowly revolving stage El Pasado… tracks the lives of four young

LAST

“this is the moment when one stops being who one thinks one is, and becomes the person they are.”

“Do our fictions

reflect the world,

or is the world a

distorted projection of our fictions?”

“Going out of my comfort zone compels me to challenge my assumptions and find value in unexpected places.” Lee’s body of work, from a variety show tackling black stereotypes to a feminist movement piece exploring gender fluidity (the cast performs entirely nude), is just that: unexpected (and provocative, and compelling, and good). Coming from a background in academia with a focus on Shakespeare, both as an undergrad and in the English PhD program at UC Berkeley, Lee dove headfirst into playwriting and moved to NYC in 2002. Her process is unique: using the idea of discomfort as a catalyst, she writes shows as she’s directing them, works collaboratively with her performers and artistic team, and uses feedback from workshop audiences. The goal is to push past an audience’s defenses against uncomfortable subjects and ask them to confront difficult questions. Her rise in the experimental theater scene has been swift and celebrated, and The Public was lucky enough to host her wonderful, bizarre cabaret piece We’re Gonna Die at Joe’s Pub in 2011.

Next month, Lee’s newest play Straight White Men will have its New York premiere at The Public. The heart of the play confronts the intersection of identity, self-worth, and privilege in the context of being, well, straight white men. Challenging and unexpected? Yes. Necessary? Definitely. In deep contrast to her previous work, the show is traditionally structured, and is framed as a classic American father-son drama. During the show’s last stretch of rehearsals in August, Lee struggled with a crucial scene for an entire week before she finally broke through and pointed herself in the right direction. “Learning how to write a naturalistic three-act drama has

been something of a torment to me, but every show is kind of like that since I’m always trying new things.” Moreover, as the most straightforward piece she’s ever written, she is as excited as we are to see how the play is received by her typically edgy audience.

What’s next for Lee? Perhaps filmmaking. With a screenplay commission for Plan B/Paramount Pictures, as well as a short film, Here Come the Girls (Locarno International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and BAMcinemaFest), under her belt, Lee is already actively exploring the difference between stage and screen. “One thing that bothers me a lot about theater is that shows change from night to night. I know for most people that is the magic of theater, but I hate it. I want to make something the way I want it, and then for it to stay that way. Film allows me to do that.” If her ambitious theatermaking is any indication, we absolutely can’t wait to see her take the film world by storm.

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN New York Premiere Written & directed by Young Jean Lee Featuring Austin Pendleton, Pete Simpson, James Stanley, & Gary Wilmes November 7 – December 7, 2014

WHAT’S THE

I WOULD EVER WANT TO MAKE?

SHOWIN THE WORLD

UTR

What makes a

artist SPOTLIGHT ON:MARIANO PENSOTTI

New

Yor

k S

hake

spea

re F

esti

val

425

Laf

ayet

te S

tree

tN

ew Y

ork,

NY

100

03

212.

539

.850

0 | p

ublic

thea

ter.o

rg

FALL 2014

After kicking off our 10th edition in 2014, Under the Radar Co-Directors Meiyin Wang and Mark Russell have been keeping busy curating another festival of explosive, diverse performances (coming January 7-18, 2015). In the meantime, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on a UTR artist we’re particularly excited about: MARIANO PENSOTTI.

Pensotti is the perfect example of an Under the Radar artist — one who creates compelling, visually stunning

work that challenges the audience’s perception of what theater can do. Based in Buenos Aires, Mariano Pensotti has become a noted experimental director worldwide. He has been heralded as one of Latin America’s brightest theater talents, touring around the world with his company extensively throughout the year. The presence of his work at UTR, both past and future, is a testament to his ongoing growth as an artist and the boundaries he continues to push.

Pictured: (left) A scene from EL PASADO ES UN ANIM

AL GROTESCO, photo by Almudena Crespo; A scene from

CINEASTAS, photo by Carlos Furman; (right) Young Jean Lee, photo by Blaine Davis.

Pict

ured

: (co

ver)

The

cast

of P

ERIC

LES,

pho

to b

y Tam

my S

hell.

(thi

s spr

ead)

Ada

m C

hanl

er-B

erat

and

Kyle

Bel

tran,

pho

to b

y Tam

my S

hell;

th

e cas

t of T

HE W

INTE

R’S

TALE

, pho

to b

y Joa

n M

arcu

s; No

ah H

insd

ale,

Grif

fin B

irney

and

Sydn

ey Lu

cas i

n FU

N HO

ME,

pho

to b

y Joa

n M

arcu

s

We call Public Forum the “theater of ideas” – an impulse that puts the theater world into conversation with other artists, intellectuals, and public figures. The Public Forum Drama Clubs this season feature some surprising mash-ups between theater artists and the most fascinating thinkers of our time.

Welcome to our Fall edition of PublicLook! This month, we’re taking our show on the road with the Mobile Shakespeare Unit, presenting Pericles for free to prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers around New York’s five boroughs as a part of The Public’s long-standing commitment to making theater accessible to all. As you will read in this issue’s main feature, the Mobile Unit is all about the journey – and so is the play! Many thanks to the incredible Young Jean Lee, playwright and director of this season’s Straight White Men, and to writer/director Mariano Pensotti and our Under the Radar staff for contributing to our feature on their work together – past, present and future. A special thanks to you for your ongoing support, and we’ll see you downtown!

We are so thrilled that our 2013 production of FUN HOME, developed in Public Lab then brought to our Newman Theater for a multiple-extension run, is heading to Broadway! The show will begin previews on April 4, 2015 at Circle in the Square Theater.

Last month, Public Works once again brought joy to The Delacorte with an incredible, 200-person musical adaption of THE WINTER’S TALE. The cast was as rich and diverse as our city: professional actors, our community partners from Children’s Aid Society, DreamYard Project, Fortune Society, Brownsville Recreation Center, and Domestic

FALL

PAST

FUTUREFUN HOME

WINTER’S

THE

TALE

BROADWAY BOUND!

The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.

Workers United, dance troupes, a stilt band, park rangers, and a special appearance by Sesame Street! The show was a wild success, and reminded us that theater is a place of possibility, where the boundaries that separate us from each other in the rest of life can fall away.

When Obie-award winning playwright Young Jean Lee, hailed as the “the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation,” begins work on a new project, she asks herself,

Then she makes it.

(UTR 2012) EL PASADO ES UN

ANIMAL GROTESCO (THE PAST

IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL)

(UTR 2015) CINEASTAS

Check out these superheroes in

The Fortress of Solitude (NOW-Nov 2)

UTR is made possible with the generous support of The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.

Elizabeth Streb

Salman Rushdie

Denis O’Hare

Cynthia Nixon

Wallace Shawn

Margaret M

itchell

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and

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ck g

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iano

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sott

i’s “fi

lmic

dra

ma”

thre

ads

toge

ther

the

lives

of f

our fi

lmm

aker

s ove

r the c

ourse of a year in

Buenos Aires.

cros

s-fa

des,

long

take

s—Pe

nsot

ti cr

afts

an

epic

tale

of l

ove,

money

, work, and art.

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is in

tric

ate

port

rait

of a

city

and

its

inha

bita

nts,

a h

andf

ul o

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ors fl

uidl

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hift betw

een the characters’

real

lives

and

thei

r fi lm

s on

an

elab

orat

e sp

lit-s

cree

n se

t. By

adap

ting c

ine

matic t

echniques—voice-over,

Argentinians in a bittersw

eet frag

menta

ry ch

roni

cle o

f a d

ecad

e (1

999-

200

9). W

hat b

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as

a st

ory

piec

ed

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a slo

wly re

volvi

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age

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asad

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JOURNEYTHE

THE MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT

NEW

YORK

CIT

Y

ANCI

ENT M

EDIT

ERRA

NEAN

PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE

12

15

13

11

8

12

10

4

2

3

7

6

5

8

13

5

4

2

14

9

6

7

1

1. ANTIOCH

CHOOSING THE PLAY

3. TARSUS

SCHEDULING

4. PENTAPOLIS

AUDIENCE REACTIONS

5. TARSUS

THE SIT-DOWN

6. TYRE 7. MYTILENE

CLOSING

8. EPHESUS/SEA/

HITTING THE ROAD

/SEA/

PLAYING IN PRISON

2. TYRE

SELECTING VENUES

Pericles solves a riddle put forth by the incestuous King Antiochus, revealing royal scandal, and must flee for fear of his life.

Our artistic staff considers which of Shakespeare’s plays might best serve the Mobile Unit audiences. We gravitate to dynamic characters and plots/themes that speak to our Mobile community.

Our hero sails to Tarsus, a city suffering from famine, and gifts the city grain from his ship to save their people.

Scheduling the tour is a big puzzle. The team must consider each venue’s needs, logistical parameters, holidays, and most agonizing of all: traffic!

The fishermen inform Pericles of a tournament whose winner will win the Princess Thaisa’s hand in marriage. Rusty armor and all, Pericles wins the tournament and marries Thaisa.

The Mobile Team loves seeing the first time an audience member speaks up or responds to Shakespeare’s characters, then watching the actors learn how to communicate with the audience in a way they aren’t used to doing.

Pericles is devastated and, fearing Marina may not survive the storm, brings her to Tarsus, thinking she’ll be safe there. Unfortunately she is eventually captured by pirates.

The final stop on the tour is back at The Public, where the show stays for a three week run. We invite community groups to these shows as well – the audiences we couldn’t get to; we bring them to us.

A depressed Pericles vows to stop speaking and stop cutting his hair. Fifteen years pass.

While out at sea, Pericles is serendipitously reunited with Marina, whose moral fortitude and intelligence has saved her from her evil captors.

The intense bond of the cast breaks at closing – it’s the end of a voyage; like disembarkation. Knowing you’ll see each other around but never in the same unique circumstances. It’s akin to everyone coming into port together and going their separate ways.

The whole family – including Thaisa, who as it turns out is still alive – are reunited!

SHIPWRECK! Pericles lucks out: he’s rescued by fishermen AND his suit of armor is saved from the storm.

Each morning, coffee in hand, the team loads into the legendary tour van. They often journey to remote areas of each borough, so they quickly become versed in road-trip games.

Pericles receives a letter causing him to return to Tyre with the pregnant Thaisa. A storm arises while at sea, and Thaisa “dies” giving birth to their child, Marina. The sailors insist that Thaisa’s body be set overboard in order to calm the storm.

The first prison performance really brings the company together in a deep way, because the audience is truly unlike any other.

Pericles returns home, where he is immedi-ately advised to leave the city, as Antiochus is on his trail.

Next we work on booking our community venues! We want a balance of new stops and continu-ing partnerships, as well as a diversity of the populations served.

2014 TOUR VENUES:

1. Charlotte

’s Place

2. Women’s Mental H

ealth Shelter at

Park Avenue Arm

ory

3. Brownsville Recreation Center

4. Crossroads Juvenile Detention Facility

5. Queensboro Corre

ctional Facility

6. Faber Park Field House

7. Rikers Island Corre

ctional Facility

8. Fortune Society

9. Taconic Correctional Facility

10. The GO Project

11. Bedford Hills

Correctional Facility

12. St. John’s Recreation Center

11. DreamYard Project

12. Hamilto

n Partnership for P

aterson

13. Pelham Fritz Recreation Center

“Do people get to see this

on the outside?” he asked.

“Because I’d recommend

it to anyone.”

– Ramon Lopez, Inmate at R

iker’s Island

“Everyone brings their b

est work,

because there’s a deep

understanding and appreciation

of our purpose.”

– AZ Kelsey, Actor in

2013 Mobile production of Much Ado About N

othing

“This is how

Shakespeare really

lives, 400 hundred

years later.”

– Jim Shapiro, R

esident Shakespeare Scholar

Stephanie Ybarra,

Director o

f Special Artis

tic Projects at The Public,

knows better th

an anyone that th

e Mobile Shakespeare

Unit experie

nce is all about th

e journey. “When we go

out on tour, every stop, th

ere is an energy crackling

between audience and actor that ra

rely happens in

traditio

nal spaces with tra

ditional audiences. It

can be a

grueling couple weeks, with

early mornings and long

drives, but the re

sults are magical.”

This year’s Mobile production is Pericles, Prin

ce of Tyre,

Shakespeare’s epic tale of loss, re

venge, and

redemption. The stage might only be a 14x14 foot square

taped down on the floors of gyms, cafeteria

s, and rec

centers but the M

obile Unit delivers all th

e intensity of

Pericles’ odyssey while embarking on an odyssey of

their own! T

ake a look at some of the adventures th

at

cross the paths of P

ericles and of the M

obile Team!

At The Public, w

e believe that cultu

re belongs to

everyone, and The Mobile Unit b

rings cultu

re to

communities who might otherw

ise never get th

e chance

to experience it.

Join us to see the show durin

g its ru

n

at The Public!

Following its tour, P

ericles, Prince of Tyre will r

un at The

Public November 11 – 30.

The

Mob

ile S

hake

spea

re U

nit i

s m

ade

poss

ible

with

the

supp

ort o

f the

For

d Fo

unda

tion

and

The

Stav

ros

Nia

rcho

s Fo

unda

tion.

Add

ition

al g

ener

ous

supp

ort i

s pr

ovid

ed b

y B

loom

berg

and

R

obin

s, K

apla

n, M

iller

& C

iresi

, LLP

. Spe

cial

than

ks to

The

Phi

lip a

nd J

anic

e Le

vin

Foun

datio

n’s

lead

sup

port

for T

he P

ublic

’s ac

cess

and

eng

agem

ent p

rogr

amm

ing.

Follow the journey #mobileshakes