Representation in theater was important to Joe Papp | Joe Papp | American Masters | PBS

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When developing Free Shakespeare in the Park, it was important to Joe Papp that people felt represented in the theater. "Joe wanted to fill the stage with the same kind of people he was gonna fill the audience with. All the people of the city," said James Earl Jones, a frequent collaborator of Papp's.

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Enter the world of Joe Papp, New York’s indomitable, street-wise champion of the arts. As founder of The Public Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park and producer of groundbreaking plays like Hair, A Chorus Line, for colored girls, Papp recognized the role art could play in building a more democratic, inclusive society. A tireless fighter for the arts, he believed great art is for everyone. The story of Papp’s great accomplishments and his own often tumultuous personal history is told by the artists he helped create—and, in some cases, tried to destroy—including, Meryl Streep, James Earl Jones, Martin Sheen, Christopher Walken, Larry Kramer, Ntozake Shange and George C. Wolfe, among others. Directed, produced and written by Tracie Holder and Karen Thorsen, American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts premieres nationwide Friday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), http://pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS Video app as part of #PBSForTheArts.

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Now in its 36th season on PBS, American Masters was recently nominated for an IDA Award, two Primetime Emmy® Awards and was awarded two News & Documentary Emmys. The series illuminates the lives and creative journeys of our nation’s most enduring artistic giants—those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape—through compelling, unvarnished stories. Setting the standard for documentary film profiles, the series has earned widespread critical acclaim and 28 Emmy Awards—including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special—14 Peabodys, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards, an Oscar, and many other honors. To further explore the lives and works of more than 250 masters past and present, the American Masters website offers full episodes, film outtakes, filmmaker interviews, the podcast American Masters: Creative Spark, educational resources, digital original series and more. The series is a production of The WNET Group.