Joseph Papp

Born Brooklyn, New York

When Joseph Papp originated the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1956, he hoped to reach those “who might never have seen a play before and who were unable or unwilling to pay.” By the 1960s, he had become a catalyst for alternative theater, most notably the 1967 “American tribal love-rock musical” Hair. The Shakespeare Festival, which has since been rebranded as Shakespeare in the Park, produced the phenomenally successful musical A Chorus Line at Papp’s Public Theater in 1975.

Papp’s repertory also included jazz workshops, chamber music, puppet shows, and a wide range of classic and contemporary theater. His commitment to multicultural entertainment helped change the face of American theater from the 1960s onward.

Nacido en Brooklyn, Nueva York

Joseph Papp creó el Festival Shakespeare de Nueva York en 1956, deseando llegar a “los que quizás nunca han visto una obra teatral y los que no pueden, o no quieren, pagar”. Para la década de 1960 se había afianzado como catalizador en el teatro alternativo, sobre todo con Hair (1967), “el musical tribal americano de amor y rock”. El Festival Shakespeare—ahora Shakespeare en el Parque—produjo en 1975 el superexitoso musical A Chorus Line en el Public Theater de Papp.

El repertorio de Papp también incluía talleres de jazz, música de cámara, shows de títeres y una amplia gama de teatro clásico y contemporáneo. Su dedicación al entretenimiento multicultural cambió la faz del teatro norteamericano a partir de los años sesenta.

(Robert Miller, New York); purchased 1994 NPG