The Climate Crisis and Our Democratic Process Play Out on Stage
American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University announces the full cast of the upcoming world premiere of Ocean Filibuster, a genre-crashing mustic theater experience developed in collaboration with HUCE
Tickets for American Repertory Theater at Harvard University’s production of “Ocean Filibuster” are now on sale with promo code OCEAN10 (unlocks $10 off tickets).
Cambridge, MA—American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University announced the full cast of the upcoming world premiere of Ocean Filibuster, which will now begin performances at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, on February 24 and open officially on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The production will close as previously announced on Sunday, March 13.
A timely tour-de-force that explores the climate crisis and our democratic process with wit and urgency, Ocean Filibuster was commissioned and developed through a collaboration with the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE). Inside the Senate chamber of a global governing body, Mr. Majority introduces an “End of Ocean Bill” designed to shrink Earth’s oceans into a more manageable (and marketable) collection of inland seas. When the floor is opened for debate, the Ocean arrives to speak in its own defense…and so begins an epic Human-Ocean showdown. A world-premiere, genre-crashing music theater experience, Ocean Filibuster fuses myth, song, video, stand-up, and science to explore the vast depths crucial to our daily survival.
Obie Award-winner Jennifer Kidwell (Underground Railway Game, Fat Ham) appears as both Mr. Majority and the Ocean. She is joined in performance by members of The Choir: Marshall Hughes (founder/director of Opera unMet), Rachel Share-Sapolsky (Thumbelina at the Loeb Drama Center), Emerson Sieverts (choir of St. John the Divine), Evan Spigelman (Taylor Mac’s A 24 Decade History of Popular Music), Dawn L. Troupe (Moby-Dick at A.R.T.), and Nia Weeks.
Ocean Filibuster is created by the Obie Award-winning company PearlDamour. Text is by Lisa D’Amour, music is by Sxip Shirey, and direction is by Katie Pearl. Scenic Design is by Jian Jung. Costume Design is by Olivera Gajic. Lighting Design is by Thomas Dunn. Sound Design is by Germán Martínez. Projection Design is by Tal Yarden. Lisa McGinn is the Production Stage Manager.
A limited number of “Senate Seats” will be available in the front of the Loeb Drama Center auditorium, allowing audience members to experience the Human-Ocean showdown from the floor of the Global Senate. See a seating map here.
“As we make climate a focal point of our work at A.R.T., we are once again inviting audiences to join us as we radically reimagine our relationship with the planet,” said Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus. “Several seasons ago, HUCE Director Dan Schrag approached me about how we might communicate the urgency of the climate crisis to a broader public. With Dan’s support, HUCE has commissioned a series of new works exploring the many different facets of climate change and celebrating resiliency and imagination. This partnership has led to groundbreaking exchange between artists and Harvard scientists, and I can’t wait for audiences to see what this team has created.”
In conjunction with performances of Ocean Filibuster at A.R.T., partnerships between the theater and community organizations will provide audiences with information and actions around local marine ecologies and efforts to protect them in the following ways:
- An art collection in A.R.T.’s lobby curated by Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs empowers youth to connect, create, and communicate through a number of programs, including its Ocean Awareness Contest.
- “Talk to a Cod” conversations facilitated by Conservation Law Foundation
Conservation Law Foundation forges lasting solutions for New England’s most critical environmental challenges, using the law, science, and the market as tools for advocacy.
- Free public workshops about coastal habitats and Massachusetts wildlife provided by Mass Audubon.
Mass Audubon protects the nature of Massachusetts for people and for wildlife.
Additional information about Ocean Filibuster partnerships and associated activities will be announced at a later date.
Production support of Ocean Filibuster is provided by Serena and Bill Lese. American Repertory Theater 2021/22 programming support is provided by Harvard University, The Barr Foundation, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Bank of America, Barton & Guestier, Meyer Sound, and JetBlue. A.R.T. 2021/22 programming is dedicated to the memory of Karen Mueller in recognition of her many contributions to the theater.
TICKETING INFORMATION / UPDATED COVID POLICIES
Tickets from $25 are available at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/OceanFilibuster. Discounts are available to students and ticket-buyers under age 25, Blue Star families, EBT card holders, seniors, Harvard faculty and staff, and others. More information at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/PlanYourVisit.
Audience, artist, and staff safety is A.R.T.’s top priority. The theater is taking many steps to protect against COVID-19. Enhanced ventilation, universal masking, vaccination including booster shots, and testing are critical cornerstones of our multi-layered mitigation efforts that prioritize the safety of our community. Attendance protocols have recently been updated. Visit A.R.T.’s website for a full list of current ticketing and attendance protocols and procedures: AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/Covid19Protocols.
As noted above, a limited number of “Senate Seats” will be available in the front of the Loeb Drama Center auditorium, allowing audience members to experience the Human-Ocean showdown from the floor of the Global Senate. See a seating map here.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Teacher Tuesday Performance Including Professional Development: Tuesday, March 1 at 5:30PM / Performance at 7:30PM
Learn more about Teacher Tuesdays at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/TeacherTuesday
Relaxed Performance: Sunday, March 6 at 2PM
ASL Interpreted Performances: Wednesday, March 9 at 7:30PM and Sunday, March 13 at 2PM
Book seats online, by contacting Access@amrep.org, or calling 617.547.8300.
Audio Described Performances: Friday, March 11 at 7:30PM and Saturday, March 12 at 2PM
Book seats online, by contacting Access@amrep.org, or calling 617.547.8300.
Open Captioned Performances: Thursday, March 10 at 7:30PM and Saturday, March 12 at 2PM
Book seats online, by contacting Access@amrep.org, or calling 617.547.8300.
The A.R.T. is continuing to develop our accessible offerings and does not currently offer virtual attendance. For additional information on accessibility, please visit AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/Plan-Your-Visit/Accessibility/. If you have any questions about access, please reach out to access@amrep.org.
ABOUT HARVARD UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) encourages research and education about the environment and its many interactions with human society. The Center draws its strength from faculty members and students across the University who make up a remarkable, interdisciplinary intellectual community from the sciences, arts and humanities, and social sciences. The most pressing problems facing our natural environment are complex, often requiring collaborative investigation by scholars versed in different disciplines. By connecting scholars and practitioners from different fields, the Center for the Environment, through its core programs, supports research and teaching related to the environment at every level, from undergraduates through senior faculty members. By sponsoring symposia, public lectures, performances and informal student organizations, the Center brings together people with an interest in the environment. For more information about HUCE and upcoming events visit environment.harvard.edu.
ABOUT AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is a leading force in the American theater, producing groundbreaking work that is driven by risk-taking and passionate inquiry. A.R.T. was founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, who served as Artistic Director until 2002, when he was succeeded by Robert Woodruff. Diane Paulus began her tenure as Artistic Director in 2008.
A.R.T. acknowledges that its theaters are situated on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Massachusett Tribe.
MISSION
The American Repertory Theater is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of theater, always including the audience as a partner.
VISION
We focus on the research and development of groundbreaking theatrical experiences that catalyze dialogue and transformation. We believe that by engaging our hearts, minds and bodies, theater has the power to heal and imagine collective pathways forward.
We commit to advancing public health in our practice and our programming, recognizing that racism in America is a national public health crisis. Our new home in Allston will be a breathable and healthy building envisioned as a town hall for the twenty-first century. Inspired by the model of a teaching hospital, the building will be a vibrant center for research, experiential pedagogy, and performance.
We build community with our audiences, artists, students, staff, and neighbors across Greater Boston, embracing theater’s power to cultivate the full breadth and beauty of our shared humanity. We affirm and celebrate a multitude of perspectives and experiences that reflect the diversity of our country and world. We are dedicated to making a welcoming and accessible space for people of any identity, background, or ability.
VALUES
We hold the institution and each other responsible and accountable for living our shared values. There is no hierarchy to these values; they are all equally important and interrelated. We acknowledge that as an institution we must devote time to implementing and sustaining these values:
We center anti-racism
Habituate anti-racist practices in our policies, structure and culture.
We lead with inquiry
Ask questions in a spirit of brave curiosity in our never-ending journey of learning and growth
We believe in collaboration
Work together with trust and respect to unlock collective creativity
We practice adaptability
Challenge assumptions and create capacity to support “next” practices
We embrace regenerative practice
Promote the health and vitality of our planet, our organization, and each other
HONORS & AWARDS
Throughout its history, A.R.T. has been honored with many distinguished awards including the Tony Award for Best New Play for All the Way (2014); consecutive Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical for Pippin (2013) and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (2012), both of which Paulus directed, and eighteen other Tony Awards since 2012; a Pulitzer Prize; a Jujamcyn Prize for outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent; the Regional Theater Tony Award; and more than 100 Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards. Additional Broadway productions include SIX; Jagged Little Pill; Waitress; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; and Finding Neverland. Since their premieres in Cambridge, A.R.T. productions have also gone on to reach audiences Off-Broadway, on US National Tour, and at partner theaters across the country, as well as in London’s West End, Tokyo, and Sydney. Under Paulus’s leadership, A.R.T.’s club theater, OBERON, has been recognized annually as a top performance venue in the Boston area, and has attracted national attention for its innovative programming and business models.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
As the professional theater on the campus of Harvard University, A.R.T. is committed to playing a central role in the cognitive life of the University, catalyzing discourse, interdisciplinary collaboration, and creative exchange among a wide range of academic departments, institutions, students, and faculty members. A.R.T. plays a central role in Harvard’s undergraduate Theater, Dance & Media concentration, teaching courses in directing, dramatic literature, acting, voice, design, and dramaturgy. A.R.T. staff also mentor students in the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club working at the Loeb Drama Center and OBERON.
A.R.T. is also engaged in a number of multi-year initiatives with partners at Harvard that explore some of the most pressing issues of our day. Current work includes collaborations with the Harvard University Center for the Environment (to commission and develop a series of new works that address climate change and the environment), the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (to develop a Roadmap for Recovery and Resilience for Theater), and the Initiative for Racial Equity at Harvard Business School (to pilot the Program in Arts and Culture Organization Management).
ENGAGEMENT
Dedicated to making great theater accessible, A.R.T. actively engages community members and local students annually in project-based partnerships, workshops, conversations with artists, and other enrichment activities both at the theater and across the Greater Boston area.