Crowdsourced Musical Adaptation of The Tempest to Play the Delacorte Theater

The Public Theater’s new community-based theater initiative Public Works will kick off with a crowdsourced original musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which will play the Delacorte Theater from September 6 through 8.

Conceived and directed by Lear deBessonet, the show will feature the talents of 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs, who will join together with professional actors for the three-night civic event. The Tempest will feature a cast of actors from five community groups: Children’s Aid Society (Manhattan), DreamYard (Bronx), Fortune Society (Queens), Brownsville Recreation Center (Brooklyn) and Domestic Workers United (all boroughs, including Staten Island).

The community members will be cast in lead and ensemble roles and will perform alongside a host of professionals at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Composer Todd Almond will write a song specifically for the community participants to perform.