"One of the great pleasures of going to outdoor theater is the natural setting. Just as the play begins, the natural light diminishes, the stage lights come on. Theater under the stars - it’s summer sweetness in bloom."
The Patriot Ledger June 26, 2001

The core of The Publick Theatre's New Directions initiative is a unique, synergistic triangle composed of three programs. The Mainstage is the popular, summer season performance program that has offered outdoor theatre to the people of Greater Boston for the past 30 years. The Young Company focuses on performing arts education and experience for arts-oriented inner city high school students and their suburban counterparts. The Shakespeare Workshop offers performing arts education and experience for local adults and professional actors. These three interdisciplinary programs feed into one another, building momentum through training, mentoring, and teamwork and providing hands-on experience in the process of artistic expression.

Our Mission:

• to demonstrate the power of the spoken (and signed) word by bringing classic, outdoor summer theatre to the people of and visitors to, Greater Boston through its Mainstage Programming,

• to provide aspiring young artists, with performance, stagecraft and arts management training through the Young Company, regardless of socio-economic status; and,

• to train and retrain established local professionals in classical outdoor performance, enhancing their marketability through the Shakespeare Workshop.