Meet the Cast
George Read
Nancy Anderson
George Read
Nancy Anderson
Col. Thomas McKean
Becca Ayers
Col. Thomas McKean
Becca Ayers
Becca will be Mr. McKean in the upcoming revival of “1776”. Broadway: “South Pacific” (original revival cast) and “My Fair Lady” revival at Lincoln Center), “Addams Family”, “Avenue Q”, and “Les Miserables” (original first revival cast). Off-Broadway: “Dear Evan Hansen”, “Dogfight”, “Giant” and “Sarah, Plain and Tall”. She has a buncha songs on streaming platforms under her name (Becca Ayers) and with her band, baby goes bang. innocenceproject.org, girltrek.org, splcenter.org
Custodian Andrew McNair
Tiffani Barbour
Custodian Andrew McNair
Tiffani Barbour
Robert Livingston
Allison Blackwell
Robert Livingston
Allison Blackwell
Allison is passionate about the issues of voting and representation. She took a year off after college to work as a congressional aide before applying for a Masters in Music in musical theater.
Judge James Wilson
Hannah Cruz
Judge James Wilson
Hannah Cruz
Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon
Allyson Kaye Daniel
Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon
Allyson Kaye Daniel
“I believe in the arts
I STRONGLY believe in education for black and brown children
I believe representation and diversity matter
I believe BLACK LIVES MATTER”
Thomas Jefferson
Elizabeth A. Davis
Thomas Jefferson
Elizabeth A. Davis
Charles Thomson
Mehry Eslaminia
Charles Thomson
Mehry Eslaminia
Stephen Hopkins
Joanna Glushak
Stephen Hopkins
Joanna Glushak
Richard Henry Lee
Shawna Hamic
Richard Henry Lee
Shawna Hamic
Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall
Eryn LeCroy
Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall
Eryn LeCroy
Eryn LeCroy received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University and most recently played Christine in the Phantom of the Operaon Broadway. In the year 1776, Eryn’s 5th great-grandfather, John Dillard, was 16 years old when he enlisted to serve in the continental army in southern Virginia. Eryn serves as a member of the non-profit organization Broadway Hearts which brings music and entertainment to kids in the New York-area Children’s Hospitals. She also volunteers her time with New York City Relief which connects the homeless and hurting with resources for a brighter future.
John Adams
Crystal Lucas-Perry
John Adams
Crystal Lucas-Perry
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela
John Hancock
Liz Mikel
John Hancock
Liz Mikel
“I am a mother. I am a grandmother. I am black. I am an artist and I’m an American. I care deeply about our country and what the future will hold for my grandbabies. When I was a baby, neither my mother, a college educator, and my father, a business owner, nor my grandparents could vote.
As an artist, I use my craft to enlighten and entertain and hopefully make a lasting change in our world.”
Benjamin Franklin
Patrena Murray
Benjamin Franklin
Patrena Murray
Patrena recently played the lawyer, feminist and civil rights advocate Flo Kennedy at the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City, the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ, and the A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA.
John Dickinson
Kerry O’Malley
John Dickinson
Kerry O’Malley
Kerry O’Malley is a native New Englander, an avid Boston sports fan, a deep lover of history, and a passionate fighter for democracy. She is particularly focused on Voting Rights, Women’s rights, LGBTQ+ Equality, Ending Gun Violence, ending gerrymandering, protecting the environment and combating Climate Change.
Joseph Hewes
Oneika Phillips
Joseph Hewes
Oneika Phillips
Oneika insists that claiming joy and love of the melaninated body through movement is itself declaration, reclamation, and protest. During the pandemic, her classes have brought the rhythm, color and soul-moving drive of Caribbean Carnival and Soca Music and Dance into the homes of many, and raised community donations for the ACLU, Smart Fit Family, The Actors’ Fund, National Black Disability Coalition, and The Innocence Project.
Samuel Chase
Lulu Picart
Samuel Chase
Lulu Picart
As a former Foreign Service Candidate, 1776is a project near to Lulu’s heart. Lulu is co-founder of the nonprofit Thank You Five. She is an in-demand speaker and performer at podcast conferences and is the co-host of 10K Dollar Day, the comedy podcast about imaginary luxury travel, and The Daily Happy, a 10-minute community check-in. @lulupicart
Edward Rutledge
Sara Porkalob
Edward Rutledge
Sara Porkalob
Roger Sherman
Brooke Simpson
Roger Sherman
Brooke Simpson
“I am an Indigenous Woman. I believe in the power of art. And I will forever use it to make my voice heard and to remind others, especially women of color, to make their voices heard.”
Courier
Salome Smith
Courier
Salome Smith
Dr. Josiah Bartlett
Sav Souza
Dr. Josiah Bartlett
Sav Souza
Sav is a queer, transgender, non-binary performer, writer, and activist working to dismantle the binary in the theater industry and beyond. They are the founder of the Binder Drive, a crowd funding organization that supplies FREE chest binders to Black trans and gender non-conforming folx in the US.
Standby
Grace Stockdale
Standby
Grace Stockdale
Caesar Rodney
Jill Vallery
Caesar Rodney
Jill Vallery
Standby
Imani Pearl Williams
Standby
Imani Pearl Williams
Imani Pearl Williams is an artist who supports organizations like The Okra Project and She Safe, We Safe. She believes that storytelling is an extremely powerful tool and looks forward to opening up the perspective of 1776.
Declaration of Independence Blackout Poetry
We invite you to explore the Declaration of Independence from your own perspective, through a blackout poetry exercise. You can see an example from one of our cast members.
We invite you to explore the Declaration of Independence from your own perspective, through a blackout poetry exercise. You can see an example from one of our cast members.
Co-Directors Jeffrey Page and Diane Paulus in collaboration with Projection Designer David Bengali create a multimedia experience with performances of songs from the A.R.T.’s upcoming production of the Tony Award-winning musical 1776. These songs are interwoven into a dynamic discussion with Harvard University historians Vincent Brown and Timothy Patrick McCarthy and members of the cast and creative team. This event explores representation, writing ourselves into existence, and what the year 1776 and the Declaration of Independence mean for our country today as we reckon with the past in order to understand our present moment and move forward together.
This virtual experience will be part of Transformation 2020: Popular Democracy Defined, the Center for Popular Democracy’s three-day livestream conference (September 24 – 26) bringing together artists, community organizers, and elected officials. Featuring an array of interactive programming, Transformation 2020 will explore how a popular democracy can transform our economy, government and communities; challenge dominant narratives; and introduce transformative ways of seeing the world.
1776: The Audacity to Exist features cast members Allison Blackwell, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Crystal Lucas-Perry, Liz Mikel, Patrena Murray, Oneika Phillips, Brooke Simpson, and Sav Souza, as well as creative team members AnnMarie Milazzo, Brisa Areli Muñoz, and Jeffrey Page. Transformation 2020 will also feature presentations by Harvard scholars from last spring’s 1776 Salons. Additional programming includes workshops led by Jagged Little Pill cast members Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, and Lauren Patten. All of the arts and culture programming for Transformation 2020 is being curated and produced by Level Forward. Additional production support of A.R.T.’s participation in Transformation 2020 is provided by Bank of America and Mass Humanities.
About 1776
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.
“I have been overwhelmed by the compassion, humanity, and unstoppable creativity expressed by our company of 1776 who have come together from across the country for our virtual workshop. Their resilience has infused me with hope for the future of theater amid this time of uncertainty.
As we embark on our journey together on this production, we find ourselves reckoning with our country’s history, reexamining the pivotal moment of our nation’s founding portrayed in 1776—the writing of the Declaration of Independence, a ‘promissory note,’ that, in Martin Luther King’s words ‘America has defaulted on.’ Our cast includes multiple representations of gender, race, and ethnicity that allow this revival of 1776 to more broadly reflect today’s America, our America.
As artists, we are embracing our American history as a human predicament and are committed to the process of learning from the past in order to move forward together.”
– Diane Paulus, Director of 1776 / Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Book by Peter Stone
Based on a concept by Sherman Edwards
Directed by Jeffrey L. Page & Diane Paulus
Choreographed by Jeffrey L. Page
Production Sponsors of 1776
Katie and Paul Buttenwieser
The Linda Hammett Ory & Andrew Ory Charitable Trust
Allison Johnson
Serena and Bill Lese
Education and Engagement Support
Ford Foundation
Additional Production Support
Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine
Janet and Irv Plotkin
Professor Mark V. Tushnet
Additional Education and Engagement Support
Bank of America
Fresh Sound Foundation
Klarman Family Foundation
Mass Humanities
Production Support of 1776 at Roundabout Theatre Company
Elizabeth Armstrong
Want to Learn More?
Stay in touch with A.R.T. for more information about the revival of 1776.
Credits
Creative Team
Music and lyrics by
Sherman Edwards
Book by
Peter Stone
Based on a concept by
Sherman Edwards
Direction
Jeffrey L. Page
Diane Paulus
Choreography
Jeffrey L. Page
Scenic Design
Scott Pask
Costume Design
Emilio Sosa
Lighting Design
Jennifer Schriever
Sound Design
Jonathan Deans
Projection Design
David Bengali
Casting
Stephen Kopel
Music Supervision
David Chase
Orchestrations
John Clancy
Vocal Design
AnnMarie Milazzo
Co-Music Direction
Nadia Digiallonardo
Ryan Cantwell
Music Consultant
Nadia Digiallonardo
Cast
George Read
Nancy Anderson
Col. Thomas McKean
Becca Ayers
Custodian Andrew McNair
Tiffani Barbour
Robert Livingston
Allison Blackwell
Judge James Wilson
Hannah Cruz
Abigail Adams/Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon
Allyson Kaye Daniel
Thomas Jefferson
Elizabeth A. Davis
Charles Thomson
Mehry Eslaminia
Stephen Hopkins
Joanna Glushak
Richard Henry Lee
Shawna Hamic
Martha Jefferson/Dr. Lyman Hall
Eryn LeCroy
John Adams
Crystal Lucas-Perry
John Hancock
Liz Mikel
Benjamin Franklin
Patrena Murray
John Dickinson
Kerry O’Malley
Joseph Hewes
Oneika Phillips
Samuel Chase
Lulu Picart
Edward Rutledge
Sara Porkalob
Roger Sherman
Brooke Simpson
Courier
Salome Smith
Dr. Josiah Bartlett
Sav Souza
Standby
Grace Stockdale
Caesar Rodney
Jill Vallery
Standby
Imani Pearl Williams
Stage Management