(1921-1991) US theater director. He was the founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival 1954 held in an open-air theater in the city’s Central Park. He also founded the New York Public Theater 1967, an off-Broadway forum for new talent, which staged the first productions of the musicals Hair 1967 and A Chorus Line 1975.
Productions directed by Papp include The Merchant of Venice and a musical version of The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Tony award 1972). Many of Papp’s productions achieved great success when transferred to Broadway.