A Free Man Of Color, The Public postpone's 2009 production of John Guare's comedy

The Public Theater has announced that A Free Man Of Color, the world premiere play by John Guare, which was to be scheduled for late winter, has been postponed due to a loss of significant individual funding and a few key donations brought on by the current economic climate.

The Public is still committed to producing this play and expects to be mounting it next season.

A Free Man Of Color re-creates the sexually progressive New Orleans of 1802 when the landscape of race was shifting and the Louisiana Purchase could complete America�s unfinished maps. Featuring a host of historical characters including Napoleon, Josephine, Jefferson, Talleyrand and others (you name �em, they�re in it).

The production was to have been directed by George C. Wolfe.

�A Free Man Of Color is a great play that deserves a great production; artists like John Guare and George C. Wolfe are the best we have and should get the best,� explained Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. �The current harsh economic climate means we cannot produce Free Man this season within The Public�s fiscal parameters. This is a tough and disappointing decision, but one we made with great thought and care, and one that will ensure The Public�s health and stability.�