A.R.T. / Museum of the American Revolution Announce DEBORAH SAMPSON UNVEILED: A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION

American Repertory Theater at Harvard University and the Museum of the American Revolution announced today the co-presentation of the next event in A.R.T's Civically Speaking series, Deborah Sampson Unveiled: A Virtual Conversation, to be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 6:30PM ET.

To be held on the wedding anniversary of Deborah Sampson, a Revolutionary woman who disguised herself as a man in order to fight in the Revolutionary War, the event will feature conversation between Fashion and Costume Designer Emilio Sosa (A.R.T.'s upcoming production of 1776 among others) and acclaimed historical fiction author Alex Myers, plus a virtual tour of the Museum's special exhibition, When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807, which features Sampson's wedding dress, on loan from Historic New England.

Tickets are now available at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/DeborahSampsonUnveiled. Free and open access to Deborah Sampson Unveiled and other virtual events is provided by the generous support of A.R.T. Members.

ABOUT DEBORAH SAMPSON UNVEILED: A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION

Disguising herself as a man in order to fight, Massachusetts native Deborah Sampson (1760 - 1827) is the only woman known to have received a full pension for serving in the Continental Army fighting for American independence. Two years after an honorable discharge, Sampson married, lived as a farmer's wife, and delivered lectures about her military experiences. What drove this Revolutionary's break with tradition? How has our contemporary understanding of gender evolved the narrative about Sampson's extraordinary life? And how is the history of gender expression in the Revolutionary period inspiring the work of Emilio Sosa, costume designer of American Repertory Theater's upcoming production of 1776?

Explore these questions and more with A.R.T. (Cambridge, MA) and the Museum of the American Revolution (Philadelphia, PA) in this discussion with Sosa (1776 upcoming; The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, Tony Award nomination); and Alex Myers, a Sampson descendant, transgender advocate, and author of Revolutionary, a fictionalized novel based on Sampson's story. Then visit the Museum's special exhibition, When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807, to see Sampson's wedding dress on loan from Historic New England and a recently discovered diary that reveals new details about her life.

Civically Speaking is A.R.T.'s series of virtual conversations, lectures, and performance events on history, politics, justice, and the meaning of democracy. Past events included Flap My Wings: 10 Years Since Tahrir Square; Resistance Mic! with performers Justin Danzy, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Oompa, V (formerly Eve Ensler), and a short film by John Lucas and Claudia Rankine; Just Us: A Conversation with Claudia Rankine and Orlando Patterson; Protecting and Deepening Our Democracy: What Should We Do Now? with Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government at the Harvard Kennedy School Archon Fung; Talking Politics with Maxine Isaacs, and more.

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? This new production of the Tony Award-winning musical reexamines the pivotal moment in American history.

Directed by Jeffrey L. Page and A.R.T. Terry and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus, the cast reflects multiple representations of gender, race, and ethnicity and is comprised of performers who identify as female, genderqueer, non-binary, and trans. The A.R.T.'s revival production of 1776 was postponed from May 2020.

Production support of 1776 is provided by Katie and Paul Buttenwieser, The Linda Hammett Ory & Andrew Ory Charitable Trust, Allison Johnson, and Serena and Bill Lese. Education and engagement support of 1776 is provided by Ford Foundation. Additional education and engagement support is provided by Bank of America, Fresh Sound Foundation, Klarman Family Foundation, and Mass Humanities. Additional production support is provided by Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine, Janet and Irv Plotkin, and Professor Mark V. Tushnet. Production support of the run of 1776 at Roundabout Theatre Company is provided by Elizabeth Armstrong.

Mass Humanities receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this event do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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