Joe Papp in Five Acts is an exploration of Joe Papp’s career, social vision, and impact at The Public Theater.
American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts explores the narrative of this indefatigable, street-wise advocate of the arts ahead of the 60th Anniversary Season of Free Shakespeare in The Park at New York City’s Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Papp believed that great art belonged to everyone, not just a select few, as the founder of The Public Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park, and the production of breakthrough pieces such as Hair, A Chorus Line, and for colored girls. Papp’s stages have been a cultural change agent for more than fifty years, with work that mirrored the reality of people’s lives.
Papp pushed to increase public access to the arts more than possibly any other cultural figure in modern history. He would ask, “We have public libraries, why not public theaters?” Papp acknowledged the importance of artists in fostering a more democratic and inclusive society. He believed that women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and other disadvantaged people, who were denied power everywhere in society, might establish it on the stage at a period when theatre was predominantly the realm of white males. Onstage, backstage, and in the audience, he wanted to create a “theater of inclusiveness.”
American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts narrates his tale without commentary, using rare material from the 1950s through Papp’s death in 1991, as well as up-close shots from the performances from James Earl Jones (Star Wars trilogy, The Lion King), Kevin Kline (Dave, A Fish Called Wanda), Larry Kramer (playwright, The Normal Heart, The Destiny of Me), Mandy Patinkin (Sunday in the Park with George, Homeland), Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now, West Wing), Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice, Mamma Mia), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction) and George C. Wolfe (director Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, former Artistic Director of The Public Theater).
American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts aspires to keep the legacy of this larger-than-life visionary alive by sparking a national discourse about what it means to be American and the role of art in a democracy for a new generation, using his life and work as a prism. C
Is “American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” on Hulu?
“American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” will not be debuting on Hulu. Best alternatives from this platform: Candy, Shoresy.
Is “American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” on Prime Video?
“American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” will not be available on Prime Video. Best shows: Independence Day, Zero Dark Thirty.
Is “American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” on HBO Max?
“American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” will not be showcased on this platform. Best choices: The Staircase, Barry.
Is “American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” on Netflix?
“American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” will not be broadcasted on Netflix. Best alternatives: Floor is Lava Season 2, Interceptor.
Is “American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts” on PBS?
American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts, directed, produced, and written by Tracie Holder and Karen Thorsen, premieres on PBS (check local listings), http://pbs.org/americanmasters, and the PBS Video app on Friday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET as part of #PBSForTheArts.
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