NEWSLETTER
New York, N.Y. - (March 4, 2026) – The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today a one-week extension for the world premiere of PUBLIC CHARGE, a bracing new play based on true events written by former United States Ambassador Julissa Reynoso and award-winning playwright Michael J. Chepiga. Directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes, the world premiere play is inspired by Reynoso’s real-life adventures from immigrating to the United States. PUBLIC CHARGE begins performances in The Public’s Newman Theater with a Joseph Papp Free Performance on Thursday, March 12. The production officially opens on Wednesday, March 25 and will now run through Sunday, April 12.
In 1982, seven-year-old Julissa immigrates to the U.S from the Dominican Republic. In 2009, she leaves her successful practice at a Wall Street law firm to supervise Caribbean and Central American Affairs for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. PUBLIC CHARGE chronicles the challenging education of a twenty-first century American diplomat as she works with scores of other dedicated public servants to deploy humanitarian aid to an earthquake-ravaged Haiti, navigate the roiling politics of immigration, confront the reality of international espionage, and free a wrongly imprisoned American from a Cuban prison. This bracing world premiere by former United States Ambassador Julissa Reynoso and award-winning playwright Michael J. Chepiga is, at its core, about a group of Americans who believe, sometimes against all appearances to the contrary, that their government might actually be a force for good upon the frighteningly chaotic world stage. Tony Award winner Doug Hughes directs this first-hand account of the principled use of power and the enormous potential of keen intelligence, hard work, and good will to bridge seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
“Julissa Reynoso’s story is a powerful affirmation of a true American story—the brilliant contributions that she makes to our government are only possible because our country embraces people from all over the world. Co-written with Michael J. Chepiga, PUBLIC CHARGE is a beautiful story of what the federal government can accomplish when principled, dedicated, and extraordinary individuals set out to make a better world. At a time when Americans' trust in government is at a historic low, it is inspiring to be reminded of what American governance looks like at its finest,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis.
Following Reynoso’s real-life adventures in immigration, diplomacy, espionage, and politics, PUBLIC CHARGE is drawn from her experience as Ambassador navigating a relationship with Uruguayan President José Mujica; her efforts to free Alan Gross, an American wrongly imprisoned in Cuba; and negotiating with Cuban deputy minister Josefina Vidal, minister of foreign affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, and diplomat Jorge Bolaños.
“To have this story on our stage right now feels like a gift. It is an invitation to imagine that our government can function—that it can serve its citizens with respect and dignity. It asks us not to surrender our belief in what is possible,” said Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali.
The complete cast of PUBLIC CHARGE includes Marinda Anderson (Cheryl Mills), Nate Betancourt (Ensemble/Understudy), Maggie Bofill (Josefina Vidal/Others), John J. Concado (Consular Officer/Vincent), Dan Domingues (Ricardo Zuniga), Zabryna Guevara (Julissa Reynoso), Yesenia Iglesias (Ensemble/Understudy), Paco Lozano (Ensemble/Understudy), Nairoby Otero (Ensemble/Understudy), Armando Riesco (Bruno Rodriguez/Others), Al Rodrigo (Bolaños/Mujica/Others), and Barbara Walsh (Judy Gross).
PUBLIC CHARGE features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Haydee Zelideth, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design and original music by David Van Tieghem, video design by Lucy Mackinnon, original music by Carlos Henriquez, hair and wigs design by Earon Chew Nealey, prop management by Samantha Llanes Gordon, dialect coaching by Rosie Berrido, and dramaturgy by Jack Phillips Moore. Roxana Khan serves as production stage manager and Molly Foy as stage manager.
Currently running at The Public Theater, Anna Ziegler’s ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL), a riveting take on Sophocles’ classic, is making its world premiere in the Barbaralee Theater (formerly Anspacher Theater) with direction by Tyne Rafaeli. Ma-Yi Theater Company's season-long residency continues with the world premiere of JESA by Jeena Yi and directed by Mei Ann Teo. Finally, the 25-26 Astor Place season will conclude with the much-anticipated world premiere of GIRL, INTERRUPTED based on the groundbreaking memoir by Susanna Kaysen, with a book by Martyna Majok, original music by Aimee Mann, choreography by Sonya Tayeh, and direction by Jo Bonney.
SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY, presented by Citizens, returns this summer with programming all across New York City. First up will be Mobile Unit’s AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by inaugural Directing Fellow Emma Rosa Went. The first production at The Delacorte this summer will be Free Shakespeare in the Park’s ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Public Theater Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali. SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY will conclude with Free Shakespeare in the Park’s THE WINTER’S TALE directed by Delacorte veteran Daniel Sullivan.
The Library serves food and drink beginning at 5:00 p.m. and closing at midnight. The Library is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit publictheater.org.
BIOS:
JULISSA REYNOSO (Playwright) is an experienced diplomat, policymaker, and lawyer. She was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in the Bronx. She is a partner at the international law firm of Winston and Strawn. Reynoso served as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra and Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden in the Biden Administration. During the Obama Administration, Reynoso served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and then as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard University, Master’s in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, and law degree from Columbia University School of Law. Reynoso is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute. She is widely published in English and Spanish on an array of issues for both popular press and academic journals. Besides Public Charge, she currently is developing two other plays with her co-writer Michael Chepiga. Thank you to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Glenn Close, Doug Hughes, Oskar Eustis, Michael Chepiga, and countless friends and family for believing in this story.
MICHAEL J. CHEPIGA (Playwright). Plays include Getting and Spending (Broadway), Matter of Honor (Edgerton Foundation Grant, NAACP Theater Award nominations), A Christmas Intervention, Best Supporting Actor, Four Sisters, The Meeting of the Creditors of J. Matthew Spengler, numerous 10-minute plays (approximately his attention span). Two-time O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Weissberger Foundation Prize, Beverley Hills Theater Guild Julie Harris Award. Studied at Fordham, NYU, and Yale. Sort of. Practiced law at a large NYC law firm where he and Julissa Reynoso met. Best productions: Geoffrey, Emily, Greer, Renner, Stella, William (co-producer, his long-suffering wife, Pamela). Love and gratitude to them and to Tenley and Patrick.
DOUG HUGHES (Director) most recently directed Brian Friel’s Translations for Irish Repertory Theatre. His production was declared “masterful” by The New Yorker and “exquisite” by The New York Times which designated it a Critic’s Pick. New York Magazine declared the show “a triumph” and placed it on its list of the 10 best theatrical events of 2023. His many Broadway productions include Junk (Tony nomination, Best Play), The Father (Tony nomination, Best Play), Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination, Best Play), The Big Knife, An Enemy of the People, Born Yesterday, Elling, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Oleanna, The Royal Family (Tony nomination, Best Revival of a Play), A Man for All Seasons, Mauritius, Inherit the Wind (Tony nomination, Best Revival of a Play), A Touch of the Poet, Frozen (Tony nominations for Best Play and Best Director) and Doubt (Tony, Best Play and Best Director). Off-Broadway productions include Socrates, Dan Cody's Yacht, Incognito, The City of Conversation, Death Takes a Holiday, The Whipping Man, Farragut North, The Paris Letter, Othello, Henry V, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, An Experiment with an Air Pump, McReele, Flesh and Blood, The Beard of Avon, A Question of Mercy, The Grey Zone, and Defiance. He has directed classic and new work at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Ahmanson Theatre, Arena Stage, the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Geffen Playhouse, Guthrie Theater, Hartford Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, McCarter Theatre, Seattle Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, and the Long Wharf Theatre, where he served as Artistic Director and was awarded the Governor of Connecticut’s Medal for the Arts. In addition to the Tony, he has been awarded Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, two Obie, and two Callaway Awards for his productions.
THE PUBLIC continues the work of its visionary founder Joe Papp as a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation’s first nonprofit theaters, The Public has long operated on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public’s wide breadth of programming includes an annual season of new work at its landmark home at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, the Mobile Unit touring throughout New York City’s five boroughs, Public Works, and Joe’s Pub. Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public continues to create the canon of American Theater and is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world. The Public has received 64 Tony Awards, 197 Obie Awards, 62 Drama Desk Awards, 64 Lortel Awards, 36 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, 72 AUDELCO Awards, 6 Antonyo Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. publictheater.org
The Public Theater stands in honor of the first inhabitants and our ancestors. We acknowledge the land on which The Public and its theaters stand—the original homeland of the Lenape people. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory. We honor the generations of stewards and we pay our respects to the many diverse indigenous peoples still connected to this land.
Produced by special arrangement with Tripp Hornick and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Leadership support for PUBLIC CHARGE is provided by Anthony Welters and Patricia M. Hynes.
PUBLIC CHARGE is also made possible by generous support from Donald Capoccia, Robert Fippinger, the Ford Foundation, Lynn Mestel & Hayes Roth, Rita & Ken Warner, and Susan Wasserstein & George Sard.
The opinions and characterizations in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government.
TICKET INFORMATION
PUBLIC CHARGE begins performances in The Public’s Newman Theater with a Joseph Papp Free Performance on Thursday, March 12. The production officially opens on Wednesday, March 25 and will now run through Sunday, April 12.
Tickets are available now and can be accessed by visiting publictheater.org, calling 212.967.7555, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.
The Public’s Joseph Papp Free Performance initiative will offer free tickets to the performance on Thursday, March 12 through TodayTix. The Lottery will open for entries on Thursday, March 5 and will close at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. Winners will be notified by email and push notification anytime from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and if selected, winners will have one hour to claim their tickets.
The performance schedule is Tuesday through Sunday at 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (There will be no 1:00 p.m. performance on Saturday, March 14 or Sunday, March 15.)
The Audio Described performance will be on Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m. The Open Captioned performance will be on Sunday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m. The American Sign Language Interpreted performance will be on Friday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m.
The Community Night performance will be on Friday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m., aimed at welcoming current, retired, and aspiring civil servants. Following the performance, there will be a post-show conversation featuring playwright Julissa Reynoso and Miguelina Camilo, Chief of Staff to Council Speaker Julie Menin. Use code PC30 to unlock $30 tickets for this night.
The full performance calendar can be found at publictheater.org.
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