A.R.T. & Carr Center to Present 'FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM', 2/8

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus, presents "Fighting For Freedom: The Civil War and its Legacies" - with Timothy Patrick McCarthy in conversation with Suzan-Lori Parks, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3); Henry Louis Gates, Jr., AlphonseUniversity Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University; and Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. The conversation will take place in the theater following the 2:00PM matinee performance on Sunday, February 8. This event is free and open to the public however seating is limited and subject to availability.

The A.R.T. of Human Rights is directed and hosted by Timothy Patrick McCarthy, award-winning Harvard faculty member and director of the Carr Center's Sexuality, Gender, and Human Rights Program. A groundbreaking collaboration that uses the arts and the humanities to explore some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time, this initiative was launched in 2014 in collaboration with the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. With support from a MassHumanities project grant, this new series features public conversations with leading artists, academics, and activists, as well as educational and artistic partnerships with local schools and organizations. Building on the Carr Center's commitment to advancing human rights principles, and the A.R.T.'s mission to "expand the boundaries of theater," The A.R.T. of Human Rights is designed to foster a new model for community education, civic engagement, and creative expression.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is a leading force in the American theater, producing groundbreaking work in Cambridge and beyond. The A.R.T. was founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, who served as Artistic Director until 2002, when he was succeeded by Robert Woodruff. Diane Paulus began her tenure as Artistic Director in 2008. Under her leadership, the A.R.T. seeks to expand the boundaries of theater by programming events that immerse audiences in transformative theatrical experiences.

Throughout its history, the A.R.T. has been honored with many distinguished awards, including the Tony Award for Best New Play for All the Way (2014); consecutive Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical for Pippin (2013) and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (2012), both of which Paulus directed; a Pulitzer Prize; a Jujamcyn Prize for outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent; the Tony Award for BestRegional Theater; and numerous Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards.

As the professional theater on the campus of Harvard University, the A.R.T. catalyzes discourse, interdisciplinary collaboration, and creative exchange among a wide range of academic departments, institutions, students, and faculty members, acting as a conduit between its community of artists and the university. A.R.T. artists also teach undergraduate courses in directing, dramatic literature, acting, voice, design, and dramaturgy. The A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theater Training, which is run in partnership with the Moscow Art Theater School, offers graduate-level training in acting, dramaturgy, and voice.

Dedicated to making great theater accessible, the A.R.T. actively engages more than 5,000 community members and local students annually in project-based partnerships, workshops, conversations with artists, and other enrichment activities both at the theater and across the Greater Boston area. The A.R.T.'s club theater, OBERON, has become an incubator for local and emerging artists and has attracted national attention for its innovative programming and business models.

The A.R.T. stages Father Comes Home From The Wars and the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's opera, Crossing, as centerpieces of its Civil War Project, a multi-year initiative to investigate and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. It is part of The National Civil War Project, a multi-year, multi-city collaboration among four universities and five performing arts organizations. Inspired by choreographer Liz Lerman, this collaboration led to the commissioning of original theatrical works as well as creation of new arts-integrated academic programs. The National Civil War partnerships include: Alliance Theatre and Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts at Emory University in Atlanta, GA; the American Repertory Theater and Harvard University in Cambridge, MA; Arena Stage and the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; and CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore, MD and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

Through all of these initiatives, the A.R.T. is dedicated to producing world-class performances in which the audience is central to the theatrical experience.

The Loeb Drama Center, located at 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, is fully accessible. ASL interpreted and audio described performances are available at select productions.

For further information call 617-547-8300 or visit AmericanRepertoryTheater.org.

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