Nine Off-Broadway theater works from recent seasons, including the Public Theater’s presentation of Richard Nelson’s cycle “The Apple Family Plays,” will get a much wider audience this fall on New York City public television station WNET/Channel 13.
The broadcaster has been working quietly for two years on a new series, “Theater Close-Up,” which begins Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. with John Van Druten’s “London Wall” from the Mint Theater Company, and will run subsequent Thursdays at 10 p.m.
“More people will see these productions than ever could have fit in the theater during their entire run,” said Neal Shapiro, WNET’s chief executive, adding that the series will “remind people how great live theater is.” He said the project was inspired by discovering in the WNET archives drama productions that captured Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep and others early in their careers.
The plays were recorded with and without audiences, allowing for some close-up camera work. “They feel more like teleplays; they don’t feel like it’s a camera at the back of the house,” Mr. Shapiro said.
The Public Theater’s artistic director, Oskar Eustis, said that as “an addict of the live property of theater,” he initially worried about committing the productions to tape, but came to appreciate their nuance and detail. “So I’m very hopeful this will be an aesthetically pleasing event,” he said.
The series is described as a collaboration with the theaters, which also include the Flea Theater, New York Theater Workshop and Abingdon Theater Company. WNET raised the money for production costs, while the theaters paid for the rights for the plays and expenses like stagehands.
The series, which is hosted by Sigourney Weaver, will also be repeated Sundays, streamed online and broadcast on sister station WLIW/Channel 21, but the rights deals do not allow for national broadcast. Mr. Shapiro said fund-raising has also begun for a possible second season.
