A.R.T. Announces Upcoming Virtual Events Featuring Diane Paulus and More

American Repertory Theater at Harvard University announced upcoming free virtual conversations and events offering audiences opportunities to engage with acclaimed affiliated artists and renowned Harvard scholars, and to honor the moments we would have been together if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversations are open to the general public, though advanced RSVPs are required.

A.R.T. has postponed its run of 1776 to its 2020/21 Season, but during what would have been its run the theater will hold two conversations related to the show and its topics and themes. They knew they would make history, but not what history would make of them. Fed up with living under the tyranny of British rule, John Adams attempts to persuade his fellow members of the Continental Congress to vote in favor of American Independence and sign the Declaration. But how much is he willing to compromise in the pursuit of freedom? And who does that freedom belong to? Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus directs a new production of this Tony Award-winning musical, reexamining this pivotal moment in American history.

1776 IN DIALOGUE

TONIGHT-Tuesday, May 26 at 6PM

With Diane Paulus, director of 1776; Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Professor of History and Literature at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and Core Faculty at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government; and Oneika Phillips from the cast of 1776

The authors of the Declaration of Independence worked to envision a new American nation free from British rule. Our discussion will address the complexities and contradictions of that time and connect it to the moment we're all living through as we struggle to re-imagine a "new normal" for representation and reality in the United States.

Register for 1776 in Dialogue here.

CITIZENSHIP 1776 - 2026: APPROACHING 250 YEARS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Monday, June 1 at 4PM

With Annette Gordon-Reed, Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History at Harvard Law School; Professor of History in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, it is worthwhile to consider what it means to be a citizen of the country that was created in 1776. Harvard Professor Annette Gordon-Reed explores the questions of how citizenship is expressed in this modern context, how we kept the republic, and what might the future hold for our republic.

Citizen 1776 - 2026 is part of A.R.T.'s 1776 Salon series, conversations with acclaimed Harvard scholars that consider the Declaration of Independence and topics and themes raised by the musical about its drafting. Held since October 2019 at various locations throughout Greater Boston and online, the 1776 Salon series explores the stories of eighteenth-century historical figures omitted from history books, considers new narratives of the events leading up to and following the American Revolution, and amplifies the voices both represented within and absent from the Declaration of Independence.

Register for Citizenship 1776 - 2026 here.

Past Salons-recordings of which are available online at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/1776-Salon include:

Performing 1776: The Politics and Poetics of the Declaration of Independence

With Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Professor of History and Literature at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and Core Faculty at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and John Stauffer, the Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University

Jane Franklin's Spectacles

With Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University; Presented in partnership with Revolutionary Spaces

Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War

With Vincent Brown, Charles Warren Professor of History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University

Originalism or Ancestor Worship: Interpreting the Constitution Today

With Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School

James Madison and the Making of American Democracy: A Participatory Case Study

With David A. Moss, Paul Whiton Cherington Professor at Harvard Business School

Learn more about the 1776 Salon series here.

LUNCH WITH LUNSFORD

The A.R.T continues its Lunch with Lunsford series with guests announced for the month of June. Hosted by Artistic Producer Mark Lunsford, the Tuesday noontime webinar features curated conversations with artists in A.R.T.'s orbit, followed by interactive audience Q&A. Upcoming guests include:

All events begin at 12PM; guests are subject to change without notice.

June 2: A.R.T. Costume Manager Carson Eddy and A.R.T. Properties Master Cindy Lee-Sullivan

June 9: TBA

June 16: Award-winning scenic designers Mimi Lien (Moby-Dick; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; and more), Riccardo Hernandez (Jagged Little Pill, The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess, and others), and Scott Pask (1776 upcoming, Waitress, and others)

June 23: Tony Award-winning choreographer Gypsy Snyder (Pippin) of Les 7 Doigts de la Main

June 30: TBA

Since the series began on March 31, Lunch with Lunsford guests have included multi-genre performer Diana Oh (Clairvoyance) with A.R.T. Line Producer Sophie Ancival; director Ifeoma Fafunwa (HEAR WORD! Naija Woman Talk True); Company One co-founders Shawn LaCount and Summer Williams; Tony Award winner Gavin Creel (Waitress, Prometheus Bound); Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes; director Zack Winokur (The Black Clown); Macbeth In Stride creator/performer Whitney White and co-directors Taibi Magar (We Live in Cairo) and Tyler Dobrowsky; Arrabal team members Jack Noseworthy and Sergio Trujillo; and We Live in Cairo co-creators Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour.

THE SHOW MUST GO SEAN

Tuesday, June 4 at 6:30PM

The 2020 Tony Awards were postponed, but the celebration goes on! Join A.R.T. for The Show Must Go Sean, a special Tonys-themed trivia night hosted Broadway aficionado and A.R.T.'s Assistant Director of Membership and Donor Relations, Sean Cummings. Bring a team of your favorite theater enthusiasts for an interactive evening of merriment and multimedia trivia-teams of any size and participants of all ages and knowledge levels are welcome!

Register for The Show Must Go Sean here.