1921- . US theatre director, and founder of
the New York Shakespeare Festival 1954, free
to the public and held in an open-air theatre
in Central Park. He also founded the New York
Public Theatre 1967, an off-Broadway forum
for new talent. Productions directed by Papp
include The Merchant of Venice and a musical
version of The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Tony
award 1972). The New York Public Theatre
staged the first productions of the musicals
Hair 1967 and A Chorus Line 1975. Many of
Papp's productions achieved great success
when transferred to Broadway.