Lafayette Street in the context of "Astor Place Theatre"

The first regularly operated line of the New York City Subway was opened on October 27, 1904, and was operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The early IRT system consisted of a single trunk line running south from 96th Street in Manhattan (running under Broadway, 42nd Street, Park Avenue, and Lafayette Street), with a southern branch to Brooklyn. North of 96th Street, the line had three northern branches in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. The system had four tracks between Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall and 96th Street, allowing for local and express service. The original line and early extensions consisted of:

• The IRT Eastern Parkway Line from Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center to Borough Hall
• The IRT Lexington Avenue Line from Borough Hall to Grand Central–42nd Street
• The IRT 42nd Street Shuttle from Grand Central–42nd Street to Times Square
• The IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line from Times Square to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street
• The IRT Lenox Avenue Line from 96th Street to 145th Street
• The IRT White Plains Road Line from 142nd Street Junction to 180th Street–Bronx Park

Planning for a rapid transit line in New York City started in 1894 with the enactment of the Rapid Transit Act. The plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission. The city government started construction on the first IRT subway in 1900, leasing it to the IRT for operation under Contracts 1 and 2. After the initial line was opened, several modifications and extensions were made in the 1900s and 1910s.

The Public Theater is an arts organization based in Manhattan, New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, the Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers. Its first production was the musical Hair in 1967. Since Papp, the theater has been led by JoAnne Akalaitis (1991–93), and George C. Wolfe (1993–2004), and is currently under Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham.

The Public's headquarters is located at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library building in Lower Manhattan. The building contains five theater spaces, and Joe's Pub, a cabaret-style venue for new work, musical performances, spoken-word artists, and soloists. Additionally, the Public operates the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where it has staged "Shakespeare in the Park" performances free of charge since 1954.

40°43′48.5″N 73°59′30.5″W / 40.730139°N 73.991806°W / 40.730139; -73.991806

The Astor Opera House, also known as the Astor Place Opera House and later the Astor Place Theatre, was an opera house in Lower Manhattan, New York City, on Lafayette Street between Astor Place and East 8th Street. Designed by Isaiah Rogers (1800–1869), in the Classical Revival style of architecture, inspired by the temples of Ancient Greece and Rome of two thousand years earlier. The theater was conceived by impresario Edward Fry, the brother of composer William Henry Fry (1813–1864), who managed the famed opera house during its entire history.