Description
Book SynopsisKevin Landis, PhD, MFA is Professor and Director of the Theatre and Dance Program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. His numerous published works range from culinary/theatrical intersections, to mobile Shakespeare, to American drag, to a book on performance anthropology. He is a visiting scholar at The Public Theater.
Trade ReviewThe first book to hold a mirror up to an American theatre in the pandemic era. . . . The Public's leadership role in the field and the challenge of adhering to its increasingly relevant principles make One Public a compelling case study. As American theatre in the 2020s stands on 'the ledge of survival,' this book will be an instructive read for anyone interested in knowing how the field can endure. * American Theatre *
Informative and very readable ... [an] excellent overview of an iconic theatre. * British Theatre Guide *
Bring[s] the theatres, productions, the personnel and the ideas of One Public to life. . . . Thoroughly inspiring. . . . This is a book worth reading and rereading. * Robin's Room *
Landis is deft at weaving together history, institutional aspirations, and personalities to create an honest and compelling account of one theater’s visionary efforts to create art everyone can access. In meticulously dissecting the story of the Public Theater using interviews from dozens of artists
One Public feels as alive as the artform it describes. Landis doesn’t shy away from addressing the upheaval the Public and its Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis face as COVID and demands for racial equity force a slow art form and a large institution to change with the same fervor it brings to its historic productions—wonderfully chronicled here. Landis’ passion for theater pops off every page making this book essential reading for anyone who believes in the power of live stories to enrich our culture and our nation. * P Carl, Distinguished Artist in Residence, Emerson College *
A compelling read. . . . There should be more scholarship that focuses on these singular institutions in American theater. . . . I want more. * On TAP podcast *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: One Public
The Park Chapter Two: Up to the Delacorte Chapter Three: Under the Lights
Interlude: Beowulf Boritt and Kenny Leon on Much Ado About Nothing Lafayette Chapter Four: Four Twenty-Five Chapter Five: Coming Home
Interlude: Justin Vivian Bond and Bridget Everett on Joe’s Pub Broadway ‘Bound’ Chapter Six: A Night at the Disco Chapter Seven: Listen to Me
Interlude: Lin-Manuel Miranda on Hamilton To the People Chapter Eight: Courting Controversy Chapter Nine: The American Neighborhood
Interlude: Kwame Kwei-Armah on Public Works Hope Chapter Ten: Rebirth
Epilogue: Oskar Eustis Notes and Sources Index
