As the nation's foremost theatrical producer of Shakespeare and new work, The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival is dedicated to achieving artistic excellence while developing an American theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays, musicals and innovative stagings of the classics. The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through its extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, Shakespeare in Central Park and Joe's Pub in the Park.