Shakespeare In The Park To Feature Amateur New York Actors

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Everyday New Yorkers will take the stage during this summer's Shakespeare In The Park, marking the first time amateur actors will perform in the annual event.

Part-time actors from Public Theater's participatory Public Works program will take the stage alongside professionals for a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" from July 17-August 19 this summer, according to the production company's website.

"This summer, we are making a huge leap forward by presenting a full-length run of a Public Works show," Oskar Eustis, the Public Theater’s artistic director, told the New York Times. "Surrounded by a huge ensemble of community members, ‘Twelfth Night’ will reach an enormously expanded audience with the deep Public Works message that everyone is an artist, and we are all in this together."

Public Works was created five years ago in order to engage everyday New Yorkers with the Public Theater. New Yorkers that participate in the program attend acting workshops and classes and performances at the theater, but most importantly have the chance to perform in a show.

Shakespeare In The Park's production of "Julius Caesar" earned national news coverage last year for adapting the play to modern times. A scene in which an actor portraying a character heavily modeled after president Donald Trump being assassinated spurred right-wing media to denounce the play and resulted in a number of lost sponsorship.

Learn more about the Public Works program here.

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