Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971)

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:16][Music] my name is Joseph Pap I'm the producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival public theater [Music] [Music] in the winters we have been operating here at the public theater and the emphasis here is new plays our Shakespeare Productions are done in the summer at the delore theater in Central [Music] Park thousands of people have access to the classics might not ordinarily have been able to see these [Music] plays grabbing a hold of all of that light ahead of you pull the light down pull the light down under you and let yourself relax completely again shoulders relaxed everything one shoulder another shoulder again reaching up towards that light move forward on top of it again out right here and pulling you up higher on top of it all that heat pulling down into you up underneath you far and you making you move forward walking pulling forward up on top of it suddenly you're very C you all know Jo I'm very much aware of my power as a producer excuse me I need to use it properly at the right time and in the right way I just think it uh you I think you'd like to see the entire circle free and sort of independent of the structure at a particular moment I come into the scene near the end of the work and then my ideas of sounding Bo the only thing that would do is that any big line I tried to make across the would be in the middle of the room so the last few days of rehearsal I become a very important instrument so I look at the work as an audience rather than just by the actors alone I think you'll have a good feeling but I mean we can't do a thing until Monday anyway so but you work with it and see how you feel let's try it okay I can see the inable Wonder with joy my woman's a SS the right wing of the Navy to the left so the line is unbroken the line is unbroken the line is unbroken All Ships and Shore and people the L is UN broken [Music] yeah i' seen it all my vision of memory remember the line is a ro yeah yeah yeah yeah the line is a ro the line is UN [Music] broken the line is UN broken is UN remember the is unbroken people the line is unoken it the line is unbroken the L is [Music] unoken is unbroken yeah you know I've been getting some flak on the National Theater some of the theater groups feel you know we're horning in on their area they feel that we're going to suddenly put ourselves up as the standard of theater in the in the United States but we don't threaten them in any way when you when you raise the slogan of a National Theater it holds promise for every theater in the country the main thing is getting out to the people of this country everything started in 1953 in a Greenwich Village Church now we have beautiful permanent theater building and we have been producing very successfully yet I always have this trepidation that it's all a dream that somehow it'll all tumble down around me part of it I guess is just a feeling about success it's very hard to deal with will definitely originate in the particular Regional areas where where the Minneapolis theater exist for example the Dallas theater we're constantly in a struggle to obtain funds to do what we do don't accumulate money this is not the guiding principle we never Bank it we use it country what we've done is to bring Shakespeare together with the Contemporary theater have to deal with C basic we've managed to mix the great Classics and contemporary plays and in such a way that each nourishes illuminates the other you wonder why does the theater keep existing all this time what is the power of it and I think mainly it's the it's the liveness of it it is really a platform for [Music] ideas for [Music] [Music] is [Music] the play is interesting to me because of the first the subject matter is interesting I mean I'm looking for work that is uh somewhat contemporary and begins to deal with problems that lots of people would be interested in not just the esoteric groups you know what I mean not just the avang guard the decision to do any play is mine it's my responsibility and it's a terrible responsibility are they freaks I have to ask myself does it do something for me does it touch me is it true is it important and the idea of sports and the whole success syndrome and how it deteriorates and what happens people's lives all that to me is very interesting the question mainly is is the depth of the work you know you say well how deep is it and I feel it just sort of skims the surface in many many many places doesn't really go into these people and yet there is a kind of a Tempo in the in the I have to really really analyze myself in relation to the work that I'm not trying to write feel I'm really trying to support the ideas of that you feel that will develop into something that would that would give it a kind of depth just the very the very motion of the play which is so Swift yes I have wa yeah I and I don't even at either too what what [Music] skin creative people are precious and I constantly seek them [Music] out this thing is a place where they can grow the public theater and once you find a new director or an actor with a special gift well then everything flows from that listen this place looks really greats [Music] I you know why I like this no I think it's a it's a very tur symbol and you don't get involved with too much detail I mean it's one statement and it's uh it's a cry no theater that has achieved anything in hundreds of years has ever been run by a board or committee you'll find almost without exception the major theaters of the world have always had a single artistic Direction well then if we this this would be good I think it's like any AR process you have as much to say as your talent permits you to say well listen we'll put David's name above the play above the title yeah let's do that what about Jeff put him below the title all right d above Jeff below all right and don't forget to put the uh New York St Festival producer so for right okay okay this room South Hall used to be a reading room try to imagine how it must have looked 100 years ago in the Twilight of a late afternoon with the sun just fading away build this was full design was based on light too I light light plays a very important role in design in those volage ceilings and uh see the Sun come through when it does come through the smug occasionally this is the last space in the building to be renovated and it will have the kind of individuality as the Newman stage and the on Spar around the first floor remarkable kind of 18th century conception massive archways with very delicate woodwork the whole sense of space the loftiness of it probably powder blue and gray or beige mostly pastel colors so that it makes the panels and the the the two collors more effective yeah well we're going to use the are we going to restore use this what color we restore all the as beautiful as this building is and as much as I love it the theater is people lots of people from all walks of life radio line number the only price these people have to pay is waiting in line and uh it is the spirit of those people I feel that sustained me for a very long time sing line sing line you feel well you made it possible both them all together man this is so beautiful hello testing 1 2 3 4 radio Light number presented to the bo to claim your ticket the show starts at 8 and ends 9:45 oh protus let this habit make me blush is true Oh Heaven were man but constant he were perfect uh how shall I send this for what are the r uh we have day rates and night rates as you can see by this chart here uh the day rates are more expensive however night letter soine night letter can be mine nothing better than a hot night letter night letter I'm so cool letter hear me true nothing than a night letter did you remember to the slam not letter did you remember just slap the FL not letter did you remember you have to say you night it ear night get my father what in force need to marry H and Folly Su up Sous St well to a su the of his government lights one and I hope for the war my father for his [Music] own help me Valentine oh Valentine help doesn't look too good on the stage right side then I think the light say too dim he's out of the he's out of the he's out of the light entirely spread that the next [Music] [Applause] time it is it is I know I know the time I yeah yeah yeah [Music] [Applause] [Music] yeah at least depressives a bre from manic now love has driven be [Music] [Applause] you another with our [Applause] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] a for for