#Peter Dinklage, Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh, Jesse Tyler Ferguson to Star in ‘Twelfth Night’ in Central Park

Peter Dinklage, Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh and Jesse Tyler Ferguson will be part of the cast of Twelfth Night, which is set to reopen the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. 

The production, directed by The Public Theater’s resident director Saheem Ali, is slated to take place in August 2025. The outdoor theater, which is run by the Public Theater and offers free tickets to the public for its Free Shakespeare in the Park, has been closed and undergoing renovations since last fall. 

In the production, Dinklage will play Malvolio, Nyong’o will play Viola,  Sandra Oh will play Olivia and Ferguson will play Andrew Aguecheek.

“Twelfth Night is the epitome of joy,” Ali said. “It also happens to be the first production I ever saw at The Delacorte, as a college student taking the Chinatown bus from Boston. I’m delighted to be reuniting with my dear friend Lupita Nyong’o, joined by fellow Public Theater alums Peter Dinklage, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Sandra Oh. Free Shakespeare in the Park is a gift to our city. I’m honored to be helming this production as we reopen The Delacorte after an extensive and essential revitalization.”

This is the seventh time the Shakespearean comedy has been produced at The Delacorte. Actors in the prior versions – which took place in 1969, 1986, 1989, 2002, 2009 and 2018 – have included Jeff Goldblum, Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Stiles, Michael Stuhlbarg and more. 

The renovation of the theater, which was built in 1962 and had not undergone meaningful upgrades since 1999, has included the demolition of existing seats, risers and the façade and work done to address structural issues in the building. Additional work is being done on interior spaces and on the layout of the theater to provide more accessible seating. 

Shakespeare in the Park typically puts on productions of Shakespeare (like The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2021) for the public each summer as well as a Public Works show that includes amateur actors and artists from the New York area.

Work will continue into the fall with the installation of new lighting towers, grandstand risers and a new wood façade made from salvaged NYC water towers. The restroom is also undergoing an upgrade.