The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to neglected works of the past; and to established classical texts reinterpreted in refreshing new ways.Brustein, Robert Sanford (2001). "The Arts at Harvard", in: The Siege of the Arts: Collected Writings 1994-2001 (snippet preview only). Chicago : Ivan R. Dee. . p. 21-30; here: p. 27. Over the past forty years it has garnered many of the nation's most distinguished awards, including a Pulitzer Prize (1982), a Tony Award (1986), and a Jujamcyn Award (1985).Mitgang, Herbert."Jujamcyn Award To American Repertory Theater" New York Times (abstract), November 26, 1985. p. C19 In 2002, the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference's Outstanding Achievement Award, and it was named one of the top five regional theaters in the country by Time magazine in 2003. The A.R.T. is housed in the Loeb Drama Center at Harvard University, a building it shares with the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club. The A.R.T. operates the Institute for Advanced Theater Training.
In 2002 Robert Woodruff replaced founder Robert Brustein as the A.R.T.'s artistic director. After Woodruff's departure in 2007, Associate Artistic Director Gideon Lester filled the position for the 2008/2009 season, and, in May 2008, Diane Paulus was named the new artistic director. Paulus, a Harvard alum, is widely known as a director of theater and opera. Her work includes The Donkey Show, which ran off-Broadway for six years; productions at the Chicago Opera Theatre; and the Public Theater's 2008 production of Hair, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
History
American Repertory Theater was established at Harvard in 1980 as a permanent professional arts organization on campus that offered undergraduate courses in acting, directing, and dramaturgy, taught by professional members of the company with teaching experience. Robert Brustein served as artistic director of the theater until 2002, when he was succeeded by Robert Woodruff, founder of the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. In 2008, Diane Paulus became the artistic director.
During its 44-year history, it has welcomed many major American and international theater artists, presenting a diverse repertoire that includes premieres of American plays and musical productions. In the over 250 productions American Repertory Theater has staged, over half were premieres of new plays, translations, and adaptations. The A.R.T. has performed throughout the U.S. and worldwide in 21 cities in 16 countries on four continents. It continues to be a training ground for young artists, with the artistic staff teaching undergraduate classes in acting, directing, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, voice, and design. In 1987, the A.R.T. founded the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard, which offers a five-semester M.F.A. graduate program that operates in conjunction with the Moscow Art Theatre School.
The current artistic director, Diane Paulus, has focused on expanding the boundaries of traditional theater by transforming the ways in which work is developed, programmed, produced, and contextualized in order to allow the audience to participate, thereby making the experience more interactive. Productions such as Sleep No More, The Donkey Show, Gatz, The Blue Flower, Prometheus Bound, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Wild Swans, and Pippin have engaged audiences in unique theatrical experiences through physical interaction and unconventional staging. The theater's productions have garnered eighteen Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical for its productions of Pippin (2013) and Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (2012), Best Musical for Once (2012), and Best Play All The Way (2014). The A.R.T. also received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, the Pulitzer Prize, and multiple Elliot Norton and IRNE awards. Its premiere production of Death and the Powers: The Robots' Opera was a 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Productions 2025–2026 season Black Swan. Music and lyrics by Dave Malloy, book by Jen Silverman, Music Supervision and Direction by Or Matias, and Directed and Choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. Based on Searchlight Pictures' Black Swan, Story by Andres Heinz. Wonder. Music and Lyrics by Ian Axel & Chad King, Book by Sarah Ruhl, Music Supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo, Choreography by Katie Spelman, Directed by Taibi Magar. Based on the novel by R.J. Palacio and Lionsgate and Mandeville's Wonder. 300 Paintings. Created and Performed by Sam Kissajukian. Passengers. A Production by The 7 Fingers. Directed, Written, and Choreographed by Shana Carroll.
2024–2025 season Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Music by Jim Barne, Lyrics and Book by Kit Buchan, and Directed and Choreographed by Tim Jackson. (Pre-Broadway production) Night Side Songs. Words and Music by Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, Directed by Taibi Magar. The Odyssey by Homer. Adapted by Kate Hamill, Directed by Shana Cooper. Diary of a Tap Dancer. Directed by Torya Beard, Written and Choreographed by Ayodele Casel. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Directed by Diane Paulus, Choreography and Movement Direction by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
2023–2024 season Gatsby: An American Myth. Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett, lyrics by Florence Welch, book by Martyna Majok, choreography by Sonya Tayeh, directed by Rachel Chavkin. Becoming a Man. Created by P. Carl, directed by Diane Paulus and P. Carl. Real Women Have Curves. Music and lyrics by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, book by Lisa Boomer, choreography and direction by Sergio Trujillo. Based on the play by Josefina López and HBO's Real Women Have Curves. (Pre-Broadway production) The Half-God of Rainfall. Created by Inua Ellams, directed by Taibi Magar.
2022–2023 season Evita. Lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Sammi Cannold, choreographed by Emily Maltby and Valeria Solomonoff. The Wife of Willesden. Adapted by Zadie Smith from Chaucer's The Wife of Bath, directed by Indhu Rubasingham. Life of Pi. Based on the novel by Yann Martel, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti, directed by Max Webster. (Pre-Broadway production) Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Conceived, written, and revised by Anna Deavere Smith, directed by Taibi Magar.
2021–2022 season 1776. Music & lyrics by Sherman Edwards, book by Peter Stone, directed by Diane Paulus & Jeffrey L. Page, choreography by Jeffrey L. Page. (Pre-Broadway production) Ocean Filibuster. Created by PearlDamour, text by Lisa D'Amour, music by Sxip Shirey, directed by Katie Pearl. WILD: A Musical Becoming. Book by V, music by Justin Tranter & Caroline Pennell with contributions by Erin Cannata, lyrics by Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell, & V with contributions by Idina Menzel, choreography by Chanel DaSilva, directed by Diane Paulus. Macbeth In Stride. Created & performed by Whitney White, orchestrations by Steven Cuevas and Whitney White, musically directed by Steven Cuevas, choreography by Raja Feather Kelly, directed by Tyler Dobrowsky & Taibi Magar. Chasing Magic. Created by Ayodele Casel, directed by Torya Beard.
2020–2021 season Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2019–2020 season Six. Written by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, musically supervised by Joe Beighton, musically directed by Roberta Duchak, orchestrations by Tim Curran, directed by Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage. (Pre-Broadway production) Black Light. Created by Daniel Alexander Jones, original songs by Jomama Jones. Featuring Bobby Halvorson, Laura Jean Anderson, Dylan Meek, and Josh Quat Moby-Dick. Music, lyrics, book, and orchestrations by Dave Malloy, musically directed by Or Matias, choreography by Chanel DaSilva, directed by Rachel Chavkin Thumbelina: A Little Musical. Book, music, and lyrics by Julia Riew, musically directed by Julia Riew & Ian Chan, choreography by Ryan Kapur, directed by Emma Watt Gloria: A Life. Written by Emily Mann, directed by Diane Paulus
2018–2019 season The Black Clown. Adapted by Davóne Tines & Michael Schachter, music by Michael Schacter, musically directed by Jaret Landon, choreography by Chanel DaSilva, directed by Zack Winokur. ExtraOrdinary. Written by Dick Scanlan, choreography by Abbey O'Brien, musically directed by Lance Horne, directed by Diane Paulus. Featuring Patina Miller, Norm Lewis, Rachel Bay Jones, Lea DeLaria, Gavin Creel, Carolee Carmello, and Elizabeth Stanley Barber Shop Chronicles. Written by Inua Ellams, directed by Bijan Sheibani, design by Rae Smith The Emperor's New Clothes. Book by Eliya Smith, music by Sasha Yakub, lyrics by Sarah Rossman, choreography by Ryan Kapur, directed by Mitchell Pononsky Othello. Written by William Shakespeare, directed by Bill Rauch Endlings. Written by Celine Song, directed by Sammi Cannold. Featuring Wai Ching Ho, Emily Kuroda, Jiehae Park, and Jo Yang We Live in Cairo. Book, music, & lyrics by Daniel Lazour & Patrick Lazour, musical arrangements by Daniel Lazour & Michael Starobin, musically directed Madeline Smith, choreography by Samar Haddad King, and directed by Taibi Magar
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2017–2018 season Burn All Night. Book & lyrics by Andy Mientus, music by Van Hughes, Nicholas LaGrasta, and Brett Moses. Directed by Jenny Koons WARHOLCAPOTE: A Non-Fiction Invention. Adapted by Rob Roth, directed by Michael Mayer, starring Stephen Spinella and Dan Butler Bedlam's Sense & Sensibility. Adapted by Kate Hamill, directed by Eric Tucker. Charlotte's Web. Adapted by Joseph Robinette, directed by Dmirty Troyanovsky Hear Word! Naija Woman Talk True. Written & directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa The White Card. Written by Claudia Rankine, directed by Diane Paulus. Starring Karen Pittman, Daniel Gerroll, Patricia Kalember, Jim Poulos, and Colton Ryan. Jagged Little Pill. Music by Alanis Morissette & Glen Ballard, lyrics by Alanis Morissette, book by Diablo Cody, musical supervision by Tom Kitt, choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, directed by Diane Paulus. (Pre-Broadway production.)
2016–2017 season Notes from the Field: Doing Time in Education, Created, written, and performed by Anna Deavere Smith with music composed and performed by Marcus Shelby. Directed by Leonard Foglia. Abbey Theatre's The Plough and the Stars, written by Seán O'Casey. Directed by Sean Holmes. Fingersmith, Based on the novel by Sarah Waters, written by Alexa Junge. Directed by Bill Rauch. Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women, Written by Paul Lucas. Directed by Jo Bonney. The Night of the Iguana, Written by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Michael Wilson and featuring James Earl Jones. Arrabal, Book by John Weidman, music by Gustavo Santaolalla. Directed and co-choreographed by Sergio Trujillo and choreographed by Julio Zurita.
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2015–2016 season Waitress, by Jessie Nelson with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Directed by Diane Paulus and featuring Jessie Mueller. (Pre-Broadway production) Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, music and libretto by Dave Malloy. Directed by Rachel Chavkin. (Pre-Broadway production) Nice Fish, Conceived, written, and adapted by Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins. Directed by Claire van Kampen. 1984, by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. Presented in association with Headlong Almeida Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse. RoosevElvis, Created by the TEAM. Directed by Rachel Chavkin. In the Body of the World Written and performed by Eve Ensler. Directed by Diane Paulus.
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2014–2015 season Finding Neverland, book by James Graham. Music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy. Directed by Diane Paulus O.P.C. by Eve Ensler. Directed by Pesha Rudnik.