FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME Will Close Out the Delacorte Theatre Ahead of Renovation

The Public Theater announced today a special, one-night-only event, A Brief Intermission, will take place Wednesday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The evening, a celebration of the venue’s illustrious 61-year history and upcoming revitalization, features the Tony Award-winning hip-hop, improv, musical comedy group Freestyle Love Supreme, conceived by Anthony Veneziale and created by Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anthony Veneziale. Freestyle Love Supreme will be joined by creator Miranda, Tony nominee Christopher Jackson, and other special surprise guests throughout the evening. A Brief Intermission marks the final performance at The Delacorte before it is temporarily closed for an 18-month renovation—the largest in its history—before it returns as a more accessible theater for all in 2025.

“The artists and supporters who make up The Public Theater community are gathering to celebrate 61 years of Free Shakespeare in the Park and to mark the brief intermission while we renovate The Delacorte into an even more beautiful version of itself. The theater we will return to in the summer of 2025 will be more modern, more welcoming, and completely accessible for audiences, staff, and artists,” said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “This night is about celebrating—greeting long-time friends and colleagues, remembering the electric nights in the park we've shared together, and letting the hilarious and humanistic Freestyle Love Supreme remind us of what live performance can do that nothing else can. A night of wonder, a night of joy, a night when we affirm the civic ritual that is Free Shakespeare in the Park. It is at the center of what makes New York City great.”

The Freestyle Love Supreme line-up features Utkarsh Ambudkar aka “UTK the INC,” Andrew Bancroft aka “Jelly Donut,” Richard Baskin aka “Rich Midway,” Aneesa Folds aka “Young Nees,” James Monroe Iglehart aka “J-Soul,” Kaila Mullady aka “Kaiser Rözé,” Bill Sherman aka “King Sherman,” and Anthony Veneziale aka “Two Touch.”

The Public Theater, in partnership with Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, is embarking on a much-needed revitalization of the 61-year-old Delacorte Theater. The plan—a major investment in outdoor cultural space as part of New York’s economic recovery—will dramatically improve the home of Free Shakespeare in the Park, addressing critical infrastructure, accessibility, and theatrical needs. The approved design by Ennead Architects includes accessible and comfortable space for audiences and artists with disabilities, streamlined backstage operations and improved comfort for cast and crew, a revitalized exterior for a more dynamic aesthetic experience, a focus on resilience and sustainability, and lighting improvements, among other benefits. During the renovation, The Public will offer free outdoor programming across all five boroughs celebrating Free Shakespeare in the Park's legacy, with additional details to be announced. Free Shakespeare in the Park will return to its newly renovated home at The Delacorte in 2025.

“The Public Theater, as an institution, has a lauded history of presenting extraordinary, groundbreaking theatrical productions in the heart of New York City,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr., Board Chair of The Public Theater. “Although the curtain must come down at The Delacorte Theater for a short time, Free Shakespeare in the Park is poised to return bigger, better, more accessible, and more equitable in 2025. We cannot wait to host artists and audiences in the renovated venue. But first, we will celebrate our existing space and its incredible history with A Brief Intermission on September 6, 2023.”

The evening will kick off with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. in Central Park outside The Delacorte Theater, followed by the performance at 7:00 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, A Brief Intermission will take place on Thursday, September 7.

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