John Glover will play the wily go-between Pandarus in the July-August free Central Park production of William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida at the Delacorte Theater.
It will be the second of the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park productions of 2016, following the current The Taming of the Shrew.
Also announced for the cast: Zach Appelman (Diomedes); Tala Ashe (Helen, Andromache); Alex Breaux (Ajax); Andrew Burnap (Troilus); Max Casella (Thersites); Sanjit De Silva (Aeneas); David Harbour (Achilles); Bill Heck (Hector); Edward James Hyland (Nestor); Maurice Jones (Paris); Ismenia Mendes (Cressida); Nneka Okafor (Cassandra); Tom Pecinka (Patroclus); Miguel Perez (Priam, Calchas); Corey Stoll (Ulysses); and John Douglas Thompson (Agamemnon).
The non-Equity ensemble includes Connor Bond, Andrew Chaffee, Michael Bradley Cohen, Lee Edward Colston II, Paul Deo Jr., Jin Ha, Hunter Hoffman, Nicholas Hoge, Forrest Malloy and Kario Pereira-Bailey.
Daniel Sullivan directs the production, which begins previews July 19, opens August 3 and runs through August 14.
One of Shakespeare's most rarely produced plays, Troilus and Cressida is described as a “surprisingly modern epic about the hot blood, hot thoughts and hot deeds of the ancient Greeks. In the seventh year of the Trojan War, Troilus, a young prince, pines for the affections of Cressida, a bright young woman who knows how to play it cool. Meanwhile, the heroes of the Iliad – Ajax, Ulysses, Achilles and the kings they serve – debate whether to return the dangerously beautiful captive Helen or continue to fight without end. Nations and lovers alike do battle in this sly, piercing drama about romance and revenge in a world at war.”
Troilus and Cressida will be followed by a Public Works staging of Twelfth Night, conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub, with music and lyrics by Taub and direction by Kwei-Armah. The musical adaptation also will be presented for free in September.
Downtown at the Public's mainstage at Astor Place, a mobile production of Romeo and Juliet, helmed by Lear deBessonet, will play April 11-May 1 following a free tour of the five boroughs. Additional casting for all shows will be announced at a later date.
The slate of productions are in celebration of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, along with Public artistic director Oskar Eustis’ 10th Anniversary season.
Tickets to The Public Theater’s free Shakespeare in the Park are distributed, two per person, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park on the day of the show. The Public Theater will again offer free tickets through their virtual ticketing lottery on the day of the show at publictheater.org.
