By Carol Tannenhauser
The Public Theater is continuing its season of free performances at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park with a musical adaptation of Hercules, running from August 31st to September 8th. Based on the Academy-Award nominated Disney movie, it will feature six songs from the original score, as well as additional new songs.
Hercules will also feature more than 100 non-professional actors from all five boroughs, including 13 from Manhattan. They are part of The Public’s “Public Works” initiative, which “seeks to engage the people of New York by making them creators and not just spectators,” according to their website. “Working with community partner organizations in all five boroughs, Public Works invites community members across New York City to take classes, attend productions, and join in the creation of ambitious works of participatory theater.”
The nonprofit partners in Manhattan, from which the community actors that will perform in Central Park were selected, are: the Military Resilience Foundation, which promotes reintegration for the military and uniformed service community; Children’s Aid, which helps children in poverty to thrive and succeed; and Domestic Workers United, an organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers in New York, organizing for power, respect and fair labor standards.
To get free tickets for Hercules, you don’t have to wait in line in Central Park as you would for Shakespeare. An advance digital lottery was launched Monday and will run through August 28th. There will also be a daily in-person standby lottery before each performance. For details on how to get tickets, click here.
