Gail Merrifield Papp

Gail Merrifield Papp worked alongside Joseph Papp as he founded The Public Theater and was named the theater's Director of New Works Development. In that role, Gail was responsible for some of The Public Theater’s best-remembered productions, including for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange, The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer, The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Rupert Holmes, and many others. Gail Merrifield and Joe Papp married in 1976 and were together until his death in 1991. Her memoir, Public/Private: My Life with Joe Papp at The Public Theater, will be published by Applause Books in October 2023.