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Free Shakespeare in the Park
TWELFTH NIGHT
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Saheem Ali
Join us to revel in the midsummer madness as twins Sebastian and Viola survive shipwreck, revenge plots, and the trick doors of love. The Public’s Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director, Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali directs this joyful romp welcoming all of New York back to the magic of Central Park’s beloved theater. Be there when the stage lights turn on again at The Delacorte—a New York City classic—with this high-powered production of the Bard’s classic comedy.
Initial casting for TWELFTH NIGHT includes Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Andrew Aguecheeck), Lupita Nyong’o (Viola), and Sandra Oh (Olivia). Additional casting and creative team details will be announced this fall.
Peter Dinklage
Malvolio
is an award-winning actor in film, television and theater. He is most recognizable for his Emmy® Award-winning performance as “Tyrion Lannister” in “Game of Thrones,” for which he won a record four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Dinklage’s breakout role came in 2003 with the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award–winner The Station Agent. Since then, he has starred in the numerous films including X-Men: Days of Future Past, Death at a Funeral; Living in Oblivion; I Think We’re Alone Now; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Avengers: Infinity War; I Care a Lot; My Dinner with Hervé; Cyrano; She Came to Me; The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes; American Dreamer; and Unfrosted: The Pop Tart Story. Upcoming films include The Thicket, Brothers, Wicked, and The Toxic Avenger. His extensive theater credits include A Month in the Country, Things We Want, Knickerbocker, Richard III, Uncle Vanya, and Cyrano.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Andrew Aguecheeck
has previously performed in The Public/Free Shakespeare in the Park productions of On the Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of Venice, The Comedy of Errors, and The Tempest. Broadway credits include Take Me Out (Tony Award), Fully Committed, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Ferguson earned 5 Emmy nominations for his role on “Modern Family.” Recent film credits include Cocaine Bear and All That We Love (Tribeca Film Festival). He is the host of the podcast Dinners on Me, the author of the cookbook Food Between Friends, and the cofounder of Pronoun, a foundation fighting oppression in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Lupita Nyong’o
Viola
is a Kenyan actress, producer, and New York Times bestselling author. She made her feature debut in Steve McQueen’s Academy Award® winning film 12 Years a Slave. For her performance, Nyong’o received the Academy Award®, the Screen Actors Guild® Award, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Image Award. Nyong’o stars in Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One, written and directed by Michael Sarnoski. The film released in June to critical acclaim and was the most successful debut in the blockbuster franchise. In September, Nyong’o will star in DreamWorks Animation’s feature film The Wild Robot, written and directed by Chris Sanders. Among her film roles, Nyong’o plays “Nakia” in Marvel’s Oscar-nominated Black Panther franchise. In Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed Us, Nyong’o appeared as both “Adelaide” and “Red,” earning her a Screen Actors Guild nomination, the NY Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and an NAACP Image Award. For her Broadway debut in Danai Gurira's play, Eclipsed, Nyong’o earned a Tony nomination. In 2021 she played “Julieta” in The Public Theater’s bilingual (Spanish and English) audio adaptation of Romeo y Julieta for Tony-nominated director Saheem Ali.
Sandra Oh
Olivia
is an award-winning television and film actor. A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, her theatre credits include this year’s The Welkin at The Atlantic, Stop Kiss and Satellites at The Public, Oleanna, Death and the Maiden, House of Bernarda Alba, and Office Hour. Oh is best known for her roles as Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy,” Eve Polastri in “Killing Eve,” and Ji-Yoon Kim in “The Chair.” Oh’s film credits include Sideways, Under the Tuscan Sun, Last Night, and Double Happiness. Her extensive voice work includes “Invincible,” Turning Red, and The Tiger’s Apprentice. Oh’s recent projects include the Emmy-nominated Hulu film Quiz Lady and HBO’s “The Sympathizer.” She will be in the upcoming films Good Fortune and Can I Get A Witness.
is a proud immigrant from Kenya, currently serving as the Associate Artistic Director/Resident Director of New York’s Public Theater. He received Tony, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations, as well as the Joe A. Callaway award for his direction of Fat Ham. He most recently developed the Buena Vista Social Club musical at Atlantic Theater Company (Drama Desk nom). His production of Merry Wives (Free Shakespeare in the Park) was recorded for PBS’ “Great Performances” and was the subject of the HBO documentary Reopening Night. Other productions include Goddess (Berkeley Rep); Nollywood Dreams (MCC); Romeo y Julieta, Shipwreck, and Richard II (radio plays); Fires in the Mirror (Signature Theater); The Rolling Stone (Lincoln Center Theater); Passage (Soho Rep); Sugar in Our Wounds (MTC); Tartuffe (Playmakers Rep); Where Storms Are Born (Williamstown); and Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theater). He is a Usual Suspect at New York Theater Workshop, a Sir John Gielgud SDCF Fellow, a Shubert Fellow, and the recipient of an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Directing.