World Premiere by Lynn Nottage & More Set for Public Theater's 2017-2018 Season

A world premiere by Lynn Nottage, a remount of Nia Vardalos' Tiny Beautiful Things and a New York premiere from Bruce Norris will make up the 2017-2018 season at the Public Theater. The off-Broadway company's slate of shows will also include a world premiere by Richard Nelson and a New York debut from Julia Cho. With this new season, the Public celebrates 50 years at its Astor Place venue.

Kicking off the season will be Elevator Repair Service's world premiere production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, directed by John Collins. Featuring Rinne Groff, Lindsay Hockaday, Maggie Hoffman, Mike Iveson, Vin Knight, April Matthis, Gavin Price, Greig Sargeant, Scott Shepherd, Pete Simpson and Susie Sokol, the mounting will run September 18-October 29, 2017.

The Public will present an encore engagement of Nia Vardalos' Tiny Beautiful Things, following its earlier run at the Public. Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed about people who wrote letters to an advice columnist, the play is adapted by Vardalos and directed by Thomas Kail. Vardalos will reprise her performance in the role of anonymous online columnist Sugar. The remount will run September 19-November 12, 2017.

Oedipus El Rey, a world premiere play by Luis Alfaro, will be presented in collaboration with The Sol Project under the direction of Chay Yew. Set in South Central Los Angeles, Oedipus El Rey is an electrifying new take on the Greek tragedy Oedipus. The work will run from October 3-November 12, 2017.

Office Hour, a New York premiere by Julia Cho, is up next. A taut new drama about a teacher and student desperate to change the narrative of who they are and how their story ends, Office Hour will be directed by Neel Keller. The play will run from October 17-December 3, 2017.

Illyria, a world premiere written and directed Public mainstay Richard Nelson, will be next on the docket. Illyria focuses on a young Joe Papp and his colleagues in 1958 New York City. The play will run from October 22-November 26, 2017.

The Mobile Unit will present Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, directed by Lee Sunday Evans. Following a three-week tour in the five boroughs of New York City, the mounting will have a sit-down run at the Public from November 26-December 17, 2017.

Kings, a world premiere play by Sarah Burgess, will be directed by Thomas Kail. Described as a scathingly funny new work about the people at the heart of our democracy, Kings will run from January 30-March 25, 2018.

Bruce Norris' New York premiere play The Low Road is up next, in a production directed by Michael Greif. The epic play featuring 16 actors in 50 roles examines the basic beliefs upon which we’ve built our economy and our country. It will play the Public from February 13-April 1, 2018.

Mlima's Tale, a world premiere from Sweat playwright Lynn Nottage, is docketed next for the theater. Mlima's Tale is the story of a magnificent elephant trapped in the clandestine international ivory market. Mlima's Tale will run from March 27-May 20, 2018. A director for the play will be announced at a later date. 

Fire in Dreamland, a New York premiere written by Rinne Groff and directed by Marissa Wolf, closes out the season. A poignantly funny new play about the aftermath of 2013’s Superstorm Sandy, Fire in Dreamland will run from July 17-September 2, 2018.

The Public's season will include additional entries in the company's Mobile Unit along with programming at Joe's Pub and in the Under the Radar Festival. The Public's previously announced Public Works production of As You Like It is also slated for the season.