Meryl Streep has donated $1 million to New York's Public Theater in honor of the theater's founder Joe Papp and writer Nora Ephron, the theater announced Thursday.
“I give this gift in honor of the founder of The Public Theater, my friend and mentor Joseph Papp, and in remembrance of one of the theater's Board members and greatest supporters, my friend Nora Ephron,” the three-time Oscar-winning actress said in a statement.
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Her announcement came Thursday night during a reception at the Public, marking the completion of a $40 million renovation of its space at Astor Place.
Streep began her relationship with the Public in 1975, making her Broadway debut in the theater's production of "Trelawny of the Wells." The Yale-trained actress has since appeared in numerous Public Theater and Shakespeare in the Park productions, including "Mother Courage and Her Children," "The Seagull," "Measure for Measure," "The Cherry Orchard" and "Henry V."
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Streep worked with her friend Ephron — who died in June — in such films as 1983's "Silkwood," 1986's "Heartburn" and Ephron's final film, "Julie and Julia."
She is set to appear next in the film version of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play "August: Osage County."