Photos: Broadway-Bound 1776 Celebrates Opening Night at American Repertory Theatre

On May 26 following the Harvard University Commencement, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson attended the Opening performance of American Repertory Theater's revival of 1776.

A photo of Judge Jackson at her Supreme Court Senate confirmation hearings provided inspiration for one of the new production's opening tableaus, and her presence was particularly meaningful. Following the performance, Judge Jackson greeted directors Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus and the cast, crew, and A.R.T. staff onstage.

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.

**Please note the cast list below includes additional performers to those announced in April

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.

Photo Credit: