joseph papp (born joseph papirofsky; june 22, 1921 – october 31, 1991) was an american theatrical producer and director. he established the public theater in what had been the astor library building in lower manhattan. there, papp created a year-round producing home to focus on new plays and musicals. among numerous examples of these were the works of david rabe, ntozake shange's "for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf", charles gordone's "no place to be somebody" (the first off-broadway play to win the pulitzer prize), and papp's production of michael bennett's pulitzer prize–winning musical, "a chorus line". papp also founded shakespeare in the park, helped to develop other off-broadway theatres and worked to preserve the historic broadway theatre district.