After an 18-month hiatus and an $85-million renovation, the Delacorte Theater is officially reopened. The Public Theater's Artistic Director Oskar Eustis cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Delacorte July 15, in a ceremony surrounded by New York City officials and some celebrity actors.

In a brief statement in front of the new Delacorte, Eustis detailed the history of the open-air theatre, which was established in 1962 by then-Public founder Joseph Papp, as a venue for theatrical productions that were free for the residents of New York. This is the first major renovation the theatre's had since 1962. Said Eustis: "So this renovation, which is so important to us, has made a theatre that is free—because the theatre, itself and everything we make within it, is the property of the people of New York," said Eustis. "You own it, we're just the stewards of it. It is accessible, because it needs to belong to everybody in New York."

The renovated Delacorte (led by Ennead Architects) includes a new exterior, made of reclaimed redwood from decommissioned water towers sourced from all of New York’s five boroughs. There is also improved accessibility including two new gates with accessible entries for audience members; there are also additional ramps, lifts, and elevators for actors and crew. There's also new seats in the house, which are also wider, and there are now 34 ADA accessible seats (20 more than previous). The occupancy of the Delacorte is now 1,866.

Backstage, there are new dressing rooms, which will now have air conditioning. Plus, the Central Park Conservancy also contributed money to overhaul the Delacorte's bathrooms, which is managed by the parks—the announcement that there will be new stalls in the women's restroom got a loud applause from the crowd.

Other speakers at the ribbon cutting included Public board chair Luis A. Miranda Jr, producer Arielle Tepper, the Public's Executive Director Patrick Willingham, New York's Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs Laurie Cumbo, New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, and many more.

New York City Comptroller, and recent mayoral candidate, Brad Lander also made remarks, which he wrote in verse. "To renovate or not to renovate, that was the question. Whether it was nobler in this space to suffer the slings and arrows of quite predictable fortune, or to take arms against a sea of raccoons, and by construction, thwart them," said Lander, playfully riffing off of Shakespeare's Hamlet, before making reference to President Trump and Lander's own arrest by ICE agents last month. "What a time to reopen this stage with enemies of culture on the prowl, pitting fear and faux populist rage against empathy....Our tyrant locks up immigrants, comptrollers too, and sow chaos, no matter the cost. So what's a Public Theater to do to ensure that our democracy is not lost? Happily, one answer is right here in new seats and stage for all New York to see, our hearts and our democracy restored through Shakespeare that uplifts us all for free."

Then, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sandra Oh, and Peter Dinklage (all starring in Twelfth Night beginning August 7) took the stage to deliver monologues from different Shakespeare plays.

The renovation was funded through a mix of support from public and private sectors, including $42 million contributed by the City of New York through the Office of the Mayor, New York City Council, and Manhattan Borough President's Office; and another $1 million allocation from the New York State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell. This renovation is part of a $175 million campaign called Forever Public, which includes renovations of the Public Theater's rehearsal space downtown and establishment of the Fund for Free Theater endowment.

See photos of the ribbon cutting event below. And scroll down for Ferguson, Oh, and Dinklage's monologues. 

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Photos: The Delacorte Theater Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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