Large Ford grant for Public

The General Public Theater has obtained a $two million grant in the Ford Foundation to place toward the continuing restoration from the legit company's downtown home, now on the right track to become performed by summer time 2012. Grant was introduced Wednesday evening in a Ford Foundation screening of doc "Joe Papp in Fave Functions," concerning the Public's founder. The Public's new lobby is going to be named following the foundation, a philanthropic grantmaker. The Ford gold coin pushes the nonprofit theater's fund-raising tally to just about $38 million, just shy from the $40 million total cost from the building update. Ford's chunk of change may be the second-biggest to become reserved for that project, behind the $28 million supplied by the town of NY. Extensive repairs from the Public, which started this past year, includes an broadened lobby, a renovated entrance, broadened bathrooms and new Air conditioning systems. Programming has continued to be located within the building throughout restoration, with current choices including "The Agony and also the Ecstasty of Jobs,Inch "Love's Labors Lost" along with a manufacture of "King Lear" toplined by Mike Waterston. Public expects to fete the restoration having a reopening in fall 2012. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com