Joseph "Joe" Papp (June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an
American theatrical producer and
director. Papp established
The Public Theater in what had been the
Astor Library Building in downtown New York. "The Public," as it is known, has many small theaters within it. There, Papp created a year-round producing home to focus on new creations, both plays and musicals. Among numerous examples of these creations were the works of
David Rabe,
Ntozake Shange's
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,
Charles Gordone's
No Place to Be Somebody (the first off-Broadway play to win the
Pulitzer Prize), and Papp's production of
Michael Bennett's Pulitzer Prize–winning musical,
A Chorus Line. Upon Papp's death, The Public Theater was renamed the
Joseph Papp Public Theater.