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IMPORTANT:

To best provide Free Shakespeare for All, we are offering both Full Capacity and Physically Distanced seating in The Delacorte Theater.

Before reserving tickets, I understand the following:

Full Capacity Sections

  • Reserved for those, 12 years or older, who have been COVID-19 vaccinated.
  • Must show proof of full vaccination before entering the theater.
  • Seats have no physical distancing. People sitting in these sections will be sitting directly next to other people.
  • Children, 11 years or younger, may accompany their vaccinated parent or guardian.

Physically Distanced Sections

  • Recommended for those who are not COVID-19 vaccinated, or the vaccination status of an individual(s) in the party is unknown.
  • No proof of negative testing required for entry.
  • Seats are limited, and can be reserved in pods of 1 seat or 2 seats.
  • All seating pods are separated by unoccupied seats around it.

Face Masks

  • Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must always wear a face mask for entry into the theater and when moving around. Those in Full Capacity sections have the option to remove their mask when sitting in their ticketed seat. Those in Physically Distanced sections must always keep a face mask on, except while eating and drinking.

You can find further details and specifics at our SAFE IN THE PARK page, which is subject to change at any time.

You must agree to the attestation to continue booking.
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MOBILE UNIT

The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit is a reinvention of Joseph Papp’s “Mobile Theater,” which began in 1957. Papp’s original touring company evolved into the New York Shakespeare Festival, and ultimately became The Public Theater.

All of it was built on a simple idea: Culture belongs to everyone. This idea remains at the heart of The Public Theater’s work to this day. And our Mobile Unit still takes this mission out to the communities across New York City, providing free performances to all.

WHAT WE DO.

In New York City

Mobile Unit presents free Shakespeare to prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers throughout New York’s boroughs. Over the years, the Mobile Unit has served thousands of audiences with critically acclaimed productions. In addition to the community tour, each Mobile Unit show “sits down” at The Public Theater’s Astor Place home to perform for Public audiences and community organizations from all over the city.

The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit breaks down economic and geographic barriers to the arts by meeting our communities where they are, staging free professional theater productions in local neighborhood venues such as libraries, homeless shelters, and community centers across all five New York City boroughs. This reimagining of The Public Theater’s original Mobile Theater is inspired by Ten Thousand Things Theater in Minneapolis, MN.

In Corrections

For the last year, Mobile Unit has worked to expand beyond touring productions and create deeper engagement opportunities with our partners. What we created is our first digital workshop series, Hip-Hop vs. Shakespeare, where participants are encouraged to write their own stories. The first four videos were filmed safely over the course of the last few months at The Public. 

  • The 400-Year-Old Rapper
  • I’ll Teach You How to Flow
  • The Power of Opposites
  • Rock the Party


Each video includes SUPMATS (supplementary materials), a workbook that engages participants with text, writing prompts, and literary exploration. Our hope is that this work will contribute to the healing of individuals and communities throughout this pandemic and beyond. 

Across the Country

The Mobile Unit National initiative represented our first expansion of this program beyond New York with an 18-stop tour of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play SWEAT in Fall 2018, traveling through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Each tour stop also included tailored artistic engagement activities designed to amplify the voices of local communities and connect their stories to a larger national narrative.

WHERE WE GO.

Every year, the Mobile Unit partners with dozens of organizations across the five boroughs to bring our tour to the people of New York City. From libraries to correctional facilities to parks, we bring free theater that meets people where they are.

(Please note: not all Mobile Unit tours visit every partner organization. Visit the show page for the most current list of tour stops.)

 

NYC Parks

NYC Parks

  • Brownsville Rec Center (Brooklyn)
  • Williamsbridge Oval Rec (Bronx)
  • Pelham Fritz Rec Center (Manhattan/Harlem)
  • Roy Wilkins Rec Center (Queens/Jamaica)
  • ARROW Field House (Queens/Astoria)
  • Faber Park Rec Center (Staten Island)
  • Lost Battalion Rec Center (Queens)
New York State Department of Corrections and Community

New York State Department of Corrections and Community

  • Queensboro Correctional Facility (Queens)
  • Taconic Correctional Facility (Westchester, NY)
  • Bedford Hills Correctional Facility (Westchester, NY)
  • Edgecombe Correctional Facility (Manhattan/Harlem)
Shelters

Shelters

  • Lenox Hill Neighborhood House/Women's Mental Health Shelter (Manhattan)
Service Organizations

Service Organizations

  • St. Paul's Chapel/Trinity Church Justice & Reconciliation Program (Manhattan)
  • Fortune Society(Manhattan)
  • Island Voice/Canvas Institute @ PS 57 (Staten Island)
  • DreamYard Arts Center (Bronx)
Community Centers

Community Centers

  • The LGBT Center (Manhattan)
  • North Brooklyn YMCA/ LDC East New York (Brooklyn)
  • Einstein Community Center Co-Cop city (Bronx)
Libraries

Libraries

  • Queens Public Library - Central Branch (Queens)
  • Performing Arts Library (Manhattan)

MEDIA.

Mobile Unit - Highlights

SPONSORS.