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ANNOUNCES
COMPLETE CASTING FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
PUBLIC CHARGE
By Julissa Reynoso and Michael J. Chepiga. Directed by Doug Hughes. Cast includes Marinda Anderson, Nate Betancourt, Maggie Bofill, John J. Concado, Dan Domingues, Zabryna Guevara,Yesenia Iglesias, Paco Lozano, Nairoby Otero, Armando Riesco, Al Rodrigo, and Barbara Walsh.
The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) today announced complete casting 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, and directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes.
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 runs through Sunday, April 5.
In 1982, seven-year-old Julissa immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. In 2009, she left a 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 alongside dedicated public servants to deploy humanitarian aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, navigate the volatile politics of immigration, confront the realities of international espionage, and secure the release of a wrongly imprisoned American from a Cuban prison.
At its core, this world premiere is about a group of Americans who believe—sometimes against all appearances—that their government can still be a force for good on a complex and unforgiving global stage. Directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes, PUBLIC CHARGE is a first-hand account of the principled use of power, and of the enormous potential of intelligence, hard work, and goodwill to bridge seemingly irreconcilable conflict.
“I feel extraordinarily lucky and blessed to be able to tell this story about the American experience and the power of its public servants,” said playwright Julissa Reynoso.
“Getting a play to the stage of The Public Theater has been quite an adventure,” said playwright Michael J. Chepiga. “PUBLIC CHARGE would not be where it is without the extraordinary contributions of Doug Hughes, Oskar Eustis, our incredible cast, and the dedicated staff of The Public Theater—and, of course, Julissa herself, for sharing her true American story of public service.”
The complete cast of PUBLIC CHARGE includes Marinda Anderson (Cheryl Mills), Nate Betancourt (Understudy), Maggie Bofill (Josefina Vidal/Others), John J. Concado (Consular Officer 1/Others), Dan Domingues (Ricardo Zuniga), Zabryna Guevara (Julissa Reynoso), Yesenia Iglesias (Understudy), Paco Lozano (Understudy), Nairoby Otero (Understudy), Armando Riesco (Bruno Rodriguez/Others), Al Rodrigo (Bolanos/Mujica/Others), and Barbara Walsh (Judy Gross).
“I’m thrilled to be directing PUBLIC CHARGE,” said director Doug Hughes. “It’s invigorating to work on an adventure story about U.S. government officials striving to make something good happen on the global stage.”
PUBLIC CHARGE features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Haydee Zelideth, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by David Van Tieghem, video design by Lucy Mackinnon, hair and wigs design by Earon Nealey, prop management by Samantha Llanes Gordon, and dramaturgy by Jack Phillips Moore. Roxana Khan serves as production stage manager, with Molly Foy as stage manager.
UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS AT THE PUBLIC THEATER
The Public Theater kicks off 2026 with Elevator Repair Service’s take on James Joyce’s ULYSSES, directed by John Collins, with co-direction and dramaturgy by Scott Shepherd. Anna Ziegler’s ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL) premieres in the Anspacher Theater, directed by Tyne Rafaeli. Ma-Yi Theater Company continues its season-long residency with the world premiere of JESA by Jeena Yi, directed by Mei Ann Teo.
Later in the spring, The Public presents SEAGULL: TRUE STORY, produced by MART Foundation, written by Eli Rarey, and created and directed by Alexander Molochniov, following its successful run at La MaMa. The 2025–26 Astor Place season concludes with the highly anticipated world premiere of GIRL, INTERRUPTED, based on the 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
SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY, presented by Citizens, returns this summer with programming across New York City. The season begins with Mobile Unit’s AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by inaugural Directing Fellow Emma Rosa Went. Free Shakespeare in the Park opens at The Delacorte with ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali, and concludes with THE WINTER’S TALE, directed by Delacorte veteran Daniel Sullivan.
THE LIBRARY
The Library serves food and drink beginning at 5:00 p.m. and closes at midnight. Closed Mondays.
For more information, visit publictheater.org.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER
THE PUBLIC continues the work of its visionary founder Joe Papp as a civic institution engaging with some of the most vital ideas and social issues of our time—onstage and beyond. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation’s first nonprofit theaters, The Public operates on the belief that theater is an essential cultural force and that art belongs to everyone.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public’s programming includes an annual season of new work at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater, the Mobile Unit touring all five boroughs, Public Works, and Joe’s Pub. Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public has helped define the canon of American theater and is currently represented on Broadway by Hamilton and Hell’s Kitchen. The Public has received 64 Tony Awards, 195 Obie Awards, 62 Drama Desk Awards, 64 Lortel Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Public Theater honors the original inhabitants of the land on which its theaters stand—the Lenape people. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal and honor the generations of Indigenous stewards still connected to this land.
Produced by special arrangement with Tripp Hornick and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The opinions and characterizations expressed 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 Wednesday, March 25, and runs through Sunday, April 5.
Tickets are available at publictheater.org, by phone at 212.967.7555, or in person at the Taub Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street.
The Joseph Papp Free Performance lottery for Thursday, September 11, will be offered through TodayTix. Entries open Thursday, September 4, and close at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10.
Performance schedule: Tuesday–Sunday at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
(No 1:00 p.m. performances on Saturday, March 14 or Sunday, March 15.)
Accessibility performances:
Audio Described: Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m.
Open Captioned: Sunday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m.
ASL Interpreted: Friday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Full calendar available at publictheater.org.
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