*Creator of The New York Shakespeare Festival and The Public Theatre*
Revolutionary theatre icon Joe Papp, born ‘Yosl Papirofsky,’ will be the center of celebration commemorating what would have marked his centennial birthday on Tuesday, June 22 featuring an appearance from Grammy award winning & Drama Desk nominee, Gary Morris.
“If there’s one celebration I want to be a part of, it’s celebrating Joseph Papp. Joseph Papp gave me a career…I owe him for that, big time. What I learned doing La Bohéme, I’ve used to this day. He wrote a letter to my agent saying, ‘I would hire Gary Morris to play any role, any place, any time.’ And my next time to go to New York was to play Jean Van Jean in Les Misérables. Thank you Joe!” says Gary Morris.
“Celebrating Yosl: Joe Papp at 100” presented by YI Love Jewish (a division of Yiddishkayt Initiative) will be hosted by YI CEO, Jewish cultural activist and prevalent actor, Avi Hoofan. Featuring a star-studded attendee list, the event will commence Tuesday, June 22 at 7 PM EST. Activities will include a recreation of Joe’s signature 1978 concert, a conversation with Tracie Holder and Karen Thorsen – Co – Producer/Directors of the documentary film ‘Joe Papp in 5 Acts’, plays, monologues, lectures and virtual and in-person celebrity broadcasts including appearances and/or commentary from the following:
- Gary Morris (Les Misérables & La Bohéme)
- Blythe Danner (Tony Award Winner – Butterflies Are Free, A Streetcar Named Desire, Follies, etc.)
- Mandy Patinkin (Tony Award Winner – Evita, The Princess Bride)
- Nathan Lane (3X Tony Award Winner – A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers & Angels in America)
- F. Murray Abraham (Academy and Golden Globe Winner – Amadeus)
- Mark Linn Baker (Blue Bloods, Perfect Strangers, Twins, etc.)
- Oskar Eustis (Artistic Director at The Public Theatre in New York)
- Kathryn Grody (The Fortune, Another Woman, Pie in the Skye)
- David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face)
- Rex Smith (Grease, The Pirates of Penzance, Grand Hotel, etc.)
- Arielle Tepper (Board Chair for The Public Theatre in New York. Dear Evan Hansen)
To see a full list of scheduled events, click here.