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Fall 2020 Programming

Fall 2020 Programming

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Dear Friends,

This continues to be a year like no other. Our hearts go out to everyone struggling with the ongoing consequences of COVID-19, and we are filled with gratitude for the medical teams, essential workers, and caregivers among you. We are also deeply grateful to those who are amplifying the call for racial justice and an overdue reckoning of America’s history of racism and inequity. We know that any true “recovery” must address both of these crises, and we are inspired by the ways that so many among you are helping to move us collectively forward.

As artists and audiences, we believe in the transformative potential of shared space and shared experience. We miss you, and we cannot wait to return to season launches and rehearsals and opening nights—the events that traditionally make fall at A.R.T. so special. We look forward to inviting you back into our spaces for 1776 and other future productions when health and safety guidelines allow.

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Shows

Join us for new performances filmed at OBERON, shows from the OBERON archives, the world premiere of a new play, and our weekly talk show The Lunch Room!

Virtually OBERON

Weekly Releases Starting October 14

Featuring streamed productions from the OBERON archives and new performances created in partnership with The Loop Lab, a BIPOC-led nonprofit whose mission is to empower Womxn and People of Color in careers in the media arts.

See Virtually OBERON Shows

As part of The Wellspring, a partnership with the Harvard Center for Wellness and Health Promotion, free wellness workshops to foster connection and well-being in this period of social isolation will be offered in conjunction with Virtually OBERON programming.

Production support of Virtually OBERON is provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional production support is provided by Bank of America.

That Kindness: Nurses in Their Own Words

With V (Formerly Eve Ensler)
In support of The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s COVID-19 Fund
With help from James Lecesne
Music by Morley
Art Animation by Alixa Garcia
October 15 at 7:30PM

Created through conversations between the nurses of America and V (formerly Eve Ensler, O.P.C., In the Body of the World), That Kindness reveals the selfless acts of service and heroism of nurses on the front lines. Produced in partnership with National Nurses United and California Nurses Association, this latest work from the creator of The Vagina Monologues features Ed Blunt, Connie Britton, Rosario Dawson, Stephanie Hsu, LaChanze, Liz Mikel (1776, O.P.C.), Rosie O’Donnell, Billy Porter, Dale Soules, Marisa Tomei (We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!), and Monique Wilson.

Presented by BAM in cooperation with twenty theaters from across the country.

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Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure

World Premiere Musical
Book, Music and Lyrics by Julia Riew
Music Direction and Orchestrations by Ian Chan
Video Editing and Compositing by Johnathan Carr
Directed by Rebecca Aparicio
Starting November 27

The annual family holiday show goes virtual this Thanksgiving with a new, 45-minute streaming musical that takes us on an epic journey through Storyland. The vivid imaginations of Harvard undergraduates Julia Riew and Ian Chan (the creators of last season’s Thumbelina) transform the classic fairy tale into a contemporary celebration of the power of kindness, courage, determination, and creativity to overcome life’s obstacles. Rebecca Aparicio makes her A.R.T. directorial debut with this production after serving as Assistant Director on Endlings and Gloria: A Life.

Fall in love with the songs before experiencing the production when the album releases next month, and join us for virtual family engagement activities in November and throughout the run, too!

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Production support of Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure provided by The Linda Hammett Ory & Andrew Ory Charitable Trust. Additional production support is provided by Bank of America and Bina and Robin Thompson.

This Is Who I Am

World Premiere Play
By Amir Nizar Zuabi
Directed by Evren Odcikin
November 27 – December 29

Separated by continents, an estranged father and son reunite over Zoom. From their respective kitchens in Ramallah and New York City, they recreate a cherished family recipe and struggle to bridge the gap between them, one ingredient at a time. Told through the intimacy of a video call with humor and humanity, Amir Nizar Zuabi’s new play explores the unpredictable nature of grief and the delicacy of family connection across geographical and generational divides.

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The Lunch Room

Every Tuesday at 12PM

The Lunch Room, formerly known as Lunch with Lunsford, is A.R.T.’s virtual talk show with the artists, activists, and civic leaders who are shaping our culture and communities. Join members of the A.R.T. staff for curated conversations and interactive Q&As.

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Civically Speaking

A dynamic series of virtual conversations, lectures, and performance events on history, politics, justice, and the meaning of democracy that builds on last season’s 1776 Salon series.

Talking Politics

With Maxine Isaacs
October 5 at 4PM

An interactive lecture with Maxine Isaacs from Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences on interpreting public opinion in the lead-up to the election.

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Resistance Mic!

Hosted by Timothy Patrick McCarthy
October 21 at 8PM
Also part of Virtually OBERON

The artist-activists of Resistance Mic! share stories and politically engaged works that read, move, sing, and speak truth to power. The streamed October 21 event features Justin Danzy, Krysten Hill, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Oompa, V (formerly Eve Ensler), and a short film by John Lucas and Claudia Rankine. Participate in a live Q&A with the artists and host Timothy Patrick McCarthy following the performances.

Part of A.R.T. of Human Rights, an ongoing collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

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Just Us: A Conversation with Claudia Rankine and Orlando Patterson

October 22 at 8PM

I learned early that being right pales next to staying in the room.

Claudia Rankine

Join poet, essayist, and playwright Claudia Rankine (The White Card) and Harvard University John Cowles Professor of Sociology Orlando Patterson for a discussion about Rankine’s new book Just Us: An American Conversation. An assembly of essays, poems, documents, and images, Just Us invites us to discover what it takes to stay in the room together and breach the silence, guilt, and violence that arise from addressing whiteness for what it is.

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Protecting and Deepening Our Democracy: What Should We Do Now?

November 19 at 5:30PM

Join Harvard Kennedy School Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government Archon Fung for an exploration of some possible futures of American democracy and what can be done to create a more equal and inclusive democracy.

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Behind the Scenes

Meet the writers, directors, composers, and choreographers who are making new work at the A.R.T.

Hear new songs and scenes, and learn about the process, research, and development that goes into the creation of new plays and musicals.

  • In November: Writer and performer Sara Porkalob (Dragon Lady, Dragon Mama, 1776 upcoming), composer Brian Quijada, and director Andrew Russell (Dragon Lady, Dragon Mama) discuss Dragon Baby, the third play in Porkalob’s Dragon Cycle.
  • In December: Director Whitney White (Macbeth In Stride upcoming, What to Send Up When It Goes Down) talks with Todd Almond (Kansas City Choir Boy) and Lear deBessonet about Two Cities, their adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
  • In January: Writer and performer Kate Hamill (Bedlam’s Sense and Sensibility) talks about her work adapting the classics and about The Odyssey, her new play inspired by the Homeric epic.

Ten randomly selected ticket holders, Behind the Scenes series sponsors, and A.R.T. donors of $500 or more are invited to visit the Virtual Green Room immediately following events to further explore the works presented.

See Behind the Scenes events

Production support of the Behind the Scenes Series is provided by Alison and Bob Murchison. Additional production support is provided by Maxine Isaacs.
The Incubator Fund for new work in development is sponsored by Allison Johnson.
Kidding Around

For Kids and Their Grown-Ups

Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure

World Premiere Musical
Book, Music and Lyrics by Julia Riew
Music Direction and Orchestrations by Ian Chan
Video Editing and Compositing by Johnathan Carr
Directed by Rebecca Aparicio
Starting November 27

The annual family holiday show goes virtual this Thanksgiving with a new, 45-minute streaming musical that takes us on an epic journey through Storyland. The vivid imaginations of Harvard undergraduates Julia Riew and Ian Chan (the creators of last season’s Thumbelina) transform the classic fairy tale into a contemporary celebration of the power of kindness, courage, determination, and creativity to overcome life’s obstacles. Rebecca Aparicio makes her A.R.T. directorial debut with this production after serving as Assistant Director on Endlings and Gloria: A Life.

Fall in love with the songs before experiencing the production when the album releases next month, and join us for virtual family engagement activities in November and throughout the run, too!

Learn More

Production support of Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure provided by The Linda Hammett Ory & Andrew Ory Charitable Trust. Additional production support is provided by Bank of America and Bina and Robin Thompson.

A.R.T. Kids Company

At Capacity

The tenth year of A.R.T. Kids Company kicks off with a virtual semester teaching creativity, teamwork, and theater skills through a mix of creative playmaking, storytelling, and devising for three age groups: 5 – 7, 8 – 10, and 11 – 13. This semester, students will explore themes of power and responsibility through the story of Jack and the Beanstalk in classes taught live and with their own box of materials for creative crafting and design projects.

The fall sessions are at capacity. Please contact Education@amrep.org to receive information about spring sessions.

In partnership with the Harvard Ed Portal, eleven scholarships have been provided to Allston-Brighton youth to participate tuition-free in A.R.T. Kids Company this fall.