Danai Gurira to Play Richard III at Shakespeare in the Park

The Public Theater has announced the lineup of productions set for the 60th anniversary season of free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater.

The summer season will begin with a mounting of Richard III, directed by Tony nominee Robert O'Hara (Slave Play) and featuring Danai Gurira in the title role. Gurira is best known for her roles in the AMC series The Walking Dead and the Marvel film Black Panther. She also penned the 2016 Tony-nominated play Eclipsed.

Programming will then continue with a return of the Public Works Public musical adaptation of As You Like It, which was originally scheduled for the 2020 season, but delayed due to the pandemic. The show is adapted by Public Theater artist-in-residence Shaina Taub and director of public works Laurie Woolery, with music and lyrics by Taub, original choreography by Tony winner Sonya Tayeh, and direction by Woolery.

The cast will feature Darius de Haas (Duke Senior), Joel Perez (Touchstone), and Shaina Taub (Jaques), reprising their roles from the original 2017 Public Works production. They will be joined by two rotating ensembles of community members from all five boroughs to perform together on the Delacorte stage.

Production dates, performance schedules, and complete casting for both productions will be announced at a later date.

The Public Works community partner organizations are Brownsville Recreation Center (Brooklyn), Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education (Bronx), Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), Children's Aid (all boroughs), DreamYard (Bronx), Domestic Workers United (all boroughs), The Fortune Society (Queens), and Military Resilience Foundation (all boroughs).