Photo: Senator Elizabeth Warren Attends 1776 At American Repertory Theater

Massachusetts Senator and American Repertory Theater fan Elizabeth Warren attended 1776 on Thursday, June 16, posing for photos with cast members following the performance and sharing reflections:

"This is a tough time for our democracy. And there were moments in watching this play that I actually thought, oh my god, it's scary. We talk about democracy, and we think about who we are in lots of ways. We fight it on the floor of Congress, we talk about it through the media, but it is through art that it touches our hearts. And so when you put on a show like this, night after night, and people come in and get to feel it, not just to hear it, but to feel it, this is how we build our future. So, thank you all from the bottom of my heart."

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? Jeffrey L. Page and A.R.T. Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus direct a new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, reexamining this pivotal moment in American history with a cast that reflects multiple representations of race, gender, and ethnicity.

Featuring Gisela Adisa (she/her) as Robert Livingston, Nancy Anderson (she/her) as George Read, Becca Ayers (she/they) as Col. Thomas McKean, Tiffani Barbour (she/her) as Andrew McNair, Allison Briner Dardenne (she/her) as Stephen Hopkins, Allyson Kaye Daniel (she/her) as Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon, Elizabeth A. Davis (she/her) as Thomas Jefferson, Mehry Eslaminia (she/her) as Charles Thomson, Joanna Glushak (she/her) as John Dickinson, Shawna Hamic (she/her) as Richard Henry Lee, Eryn LeCroy (she/her) as Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall, Crystal Lucas-Perry (she/her) as John Adams, Liz Mikel (she/her) as John Hancock, Patrena Murray (she/her) as Benjamin Franklin, Oneika Philliips (she/her) as Joseph Hewes, Lulu Picart (she/her) as Samuel Chase, Sara Porkalob (she/they) as Edward Rutledge, Sushma Saha (pronoun inclusive) as Judge James Wilson, Brooke Simpson (she/her) as Roger Sherman, Salome B. Smith (she/her) as the Courier, Sav Souza (they/they) as Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Jill Vallery (she/her) as Caesar Rodney, and Ariella Serur (she/they), Grace Stockdale (she/her), Imani Pearl Williams (she/her), Rose Van Dyne (she/her), and Sabrina K. Victor (she/her) serving as standbys.

1776 continues at American Repertory Theater through July 24. AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/1776-Revival.