History
Joe's Pub opened in October 1998. Soon after, a reviewer for The New York Times wrote "You enter through the side door of the Joseph Papp Public Theater. Farther south on Lafayette Street, revolving doors admit patrons to the Public's various theatrical spaces, but here, on the outskirts, an iron-fenced portal offers entree to the theater's new nightclub." He continued "But Joe's Pub is a much less lofty enterprise, carved as it is from ground-floor back-office space at the theater. The $2.35 million club is the result, in part, of a construction and renovation grant to the Public from city capital funds that includes refurbishment of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. There were some doubters when the club opened in October who wondered whether the Public Theater could make a theater-night life alliance work. Six months later, according to George C. Wolfe, the producer of the Public, Joe's Pub "is actually doing better than I thought it would." He also wrote "The club's programming is idiosyncratic: from ethnic music ensembles to spoken-word artists to the most promising young musical-theater composers and performers on the contemporary scene, the changing roster has generated an after-hours theatricality all its own."
The Pub is known as one of New York City’s live showcase venues, catering to an eclectic mix of musical genres. This defining feature of Joe's Pub – its extraordinary variety – was the vision of principal booking agent Bill Bragin, an aficionado of music in all forms and a world-music DJ in his own right. Bragin established relationships with artists that have made Joe's Pub a home-base for local, domestic, and international acts. In 2007,Bragin left Joe's Pub to work for Lincoln Center. Shanta Thake, Bragin's experienced assistant of many years, was unanimously given the head-booker position by the board of the Public Theater.
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