Myra Lucretia Taylor (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play) will star as magician Prospero in The Public Theater's upcoming Mobile Unit production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. The touring production, which will play in correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and other community venues, will be directed by The Public's Director of Public Works Laurie Woolery.

The Tempest will tour the five boroughs April 4–27 ahead of a free, sit-down run at The Public April 29–May 19.

Rounding out the cast will be Jasai Chase Owens as Ferdinand, Dan Domingues as Antonio, Danaya Esperanza as Ariel, Christopher Ryan Grant as Caliban, Sam Morales as Miranda, Nancy Rodriguez as Gonzalo, Reza Salazar as Sebastian, and JD Webster as Alonso.

In The Tempest, Prospero, a powerful magician and the rightful Duchess of Milan, has been usurped by her brother and has escaped to a remote and barren island. There, despite the unforgiving landscape, she has tried her best to make a home for her daughter, Miranda. When Prospero conjures a powerful storm to sink her brother’s ship, she must decide how to deal with him and his confederates, who have washed ashore.

“Laurie Woolery has been one of The Public Theater’s stars; her production of As You Like It for Public Works was one of the best we ever created,” said Public Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “I can’t wait to watch the collision of her gorgeous spirit and Shakespeare’s magical play.”

“Since I arrived at The Public, I have dreamed of working on the Mobile Unit. As Director of Public Works, the uniting of these two iconic programs just feels right,” said Woolery. “Community is at the heart of everything I do so I asked myself, ‘What do we as a society need to hear right now?’ With fear and injustice surrounding us on a daily basis, how do we not drown in our own rage? Prospero asks this question so it felt right to explore this play through a female lens. My hope is that together we will all find a way to heal and move forward.”

The Tempest will play the following venues and dates:

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, Manhattan (April 4)
Pelham Fritz Recreation Center, Manhattan (April 5)
St. Paul’s Chapel, Manhattan (April 6)
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House/Women’s Mental Health Shelter, Manhattan (April 8)
Brownsville Recreation Center, Brooklyn (April 10)
Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, Bronx (April 11)
Queensboro Correctional Facility, Queens (April 12)
Roy Wilkins Recreation Center, Queens (April 15).
Einstein Community Center – Co-Op City 50th Anniversary, Bronx (April 16)
Dreamyard Arts Project, Bronx (April 17)
Queens Public Library, Central Branch, Queens (April 18)
Faber Park Recreation Center, Staten Island (April 20)
ARROW Field House, Queens (April 23)
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Manhattan (April 24)
Edgecombe Correctional Facility, Manhattan (April 25)
Taconic Correctional Facility, Westchester (April 26)
North Brooklyn YMCA, Brooklyn (April 27)

The Tempest will feature scenic design by Claire DeLiso, costume design by Wilberth Gonzalez, and music composition by Michelle J. Rodriguez.