Care to Admire the Public Theater’s New Cocktail Lounge and ‘Shakespeare Machine’?

On the heels of last week’s rededication ceremony, The Public Theater unveiled two new amenities this week. At an event last night, the “Shakespeare Machine,” a sort of high-tech LED chandelier, made its formal debut. The installation – created by artist Ben Rubin and statistician Mark Hansen, who collaborated on a similar work in the New York Times building – pays tribute to the Bard’s works by parsing up his language and displaying it in found patterns.

Watch the above video to see the machine in action and hear more about how it works.

And below, have a look at The Library, the lounge that Andrew Carmellini’s team, along with the folks at Joe’s Pub, have installed on the Public Theater’s new mezzanine. The books and trinkets on the shelves were picked by designer David Rockwell in collaboration with The Public’s archivists. For more, including the menu, refer back to last week’s post.


Photos: Noah Fecks