The Bard Is Back: After $85M Renovation, Shakespeare in Park Returns to the Delacorte

The completely remodeled Delacorte Theater is finally ready for its close-up after an $85-million makeover as Shakespeare in the Park returns on Aug. 7.

”Why, this is very midsummer madness,” wrote William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, which will be the first production to grace the theater after its 18-month renovation. The city kicked in with over $40 million, with private funding taking care of the rest.

The quote speaks directly to New Yorkers who will be lining up in droves to experience the long-awaited reopening of the 1,800-seat outdoor theater—and the adjacent restroom building—accessible by entering Central Park at 81st Street and Central Park West or at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

The comedy runs from Aug. 7 through Sept. 14, and stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage, Bill Camp, Khris Davis, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Moses Sumney, and real-life sister and brother, Lupita Nyong’o and Junior Nyong’o, in the lead roles as separated twins. (The siblings speak Swahili, which has been incorporated into the play.)

Straus Media bore witness to the transformation of the venue from active construction site to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

In late June, stepping over wires, wood, and debris, and maneuvering around workers in hard hats, Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater, which operates Free Shakespeare in the Park, reminisced about the space’s beginnings when theatrical producer and director Joe Papp battled—and beat—the New York State and City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses to create a place where all could be exposed to culture at no cost. The original Delacorte Theater officially debuted in 1962.

Said Eustis, “With the reopening of this beautiful palace for the people, we are planting a flag that says the most important thing is to not divide our city by wealth, status, or clout, but that everybody gets the best that we can do.”

Patrick Willingham, executive director at The Public, said of the historic makeover, “We stripped everything down to the base structure” to ensure a safer (the installation of a long-nonexistent sprinkler system) and more accommodating as well as more sustainable experience.

“One of the things we’re most excited about,” said Willingham, “is this façade,” now reinforced with reclaimed redwood and a woodland-creature-proof barrier. The canopy has also been extended. He continued, “Elevating the aesthetic was really key to us. Also, we wanted to make sure that the venue was able to support 21st-century productions with new lighting towers, cable systems, and just the overall environment. It’s going to be a lot more comfortable.”

Willingham pointed out that the most important element was ensuring that this open-air space was as accessible for as many people as possible, not just audience members, but actors, stage technicians, directors, creative staff members, and board members. “Anyone in this city should have access to this space.” 


The architects added two new entrance gates, introducing unprecedented accessible entries, and increased the number of audience ramps and the number of seats that are available for people in wheelchairs. There’s also a ramp backstage for actors with mobility issues so they can get onto the stage under their own power. Also for the artists are purpose-built dressing rooms, larger hallways, and HVAC climate control.

To aid stage managers or light and sound technicians, a lift has been added for direct access to the control booth.

The coup de grâce, though: the seats. The old versions were around 18 inches wide. The new ones vary from 19 to 27 inches.

At the mid-July ribbon cutting, the significantly enhanced venue was celebrated with elected officials and community partners.

“It is such an honor to stand here today in this extraordinary place in the middle of the greatest park, in the greatest city in the world, and say, We did it! We rebuilt the Delacorte,” said Arielle Tepper, co-chair of the Delacorte Campaign Committee, who served as the board chair of The Public when the campaign launched 10 years ago.

NY City Council Member Carlina Rivera called Shakespeare in the Park “so uniquely New York,” while Pat Swinney Kaufman, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, deemed NYC “the creative capital of the world,” then reminded us, “When the city’s creative economy thrives, New York City thrives.”

Laurie Cumbo, commissioner of cultural affairs, referencing the $42 million in public resources that went toward the project, said, “These are your taxpaying dollars that you have entrusted with us to return to this community.”

The deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, Adolfo Carrion Jr., built upon that by adding, “One of the most important investments that we can make . . . is to invest in arts and culture and allow those investments to open the door to everyone. On behalf of Mayor Adams and this administration, we have invested just this year and last year alone, $525 million in arts and culture.”

But it was the story told by New York State Senator Jose M. Serrano that had a full-circle moment. “Thirty years ago, I had the good fortune of working at The Public Theater. My years there taught me some really important things that I carry on as an elected official and as chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks & Recreation. That is, the arts have the unique ability to be the vehicle for discussions that normally would not happen, that when you listen to all that the playwrights and the writers weave into their work, it is a lesson of our times.”

At a separate event, the show’s Kenyan-born director, Saheem Ali, shared a similar sentiment: “I love this play. It captures the human condition. We relate to it, we see ourselves in it, we see our morals in it, because these really basic human things—love, revenge, lust, success, loss, class—they’re still things that we grapple with.” 


Even if you are a diehard New Yorker who’s seen your share of the 150 shows the Delacorte has put on in the last seven decades, Twelfth Night, experienced in this new and improved theater, will be like seeing Shakespeare for the first time.

Tickets for Shakespeare in the Park are completely free and can be obtained via distribution in Central Park and across all five boroughs, the in-person lottery at The Public Theater, the digital lottery with TodayTix, and the standby line in Central Park.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl, a regular contributor to Straus News on theater and literature, is the author of three novels, most recently The Last Single Woman in New York City.