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 to whom does that freedom belong?

Direct from the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, visionary director Diane Paulus reexamines a pivotal moment in American history in a reimagining of the Tony Award-winning musical.

“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 t​o 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

Underwriting support for 1776 is provided by Roundabout’s Musical Production Fund partner Elizabeth Armstrong.

1776 benefits from Roundabout’s Musical Production Fund with lead gifts from The Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere, Diane and Tom Tuft, and Cynthia C. Wainwright and Stephen Berger.