Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has announced that Eric Bentley’s Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? will join its Fall 2026 lineup, direct from its Off-Broadway run at New York City Center. Using only the original transcripts from the 1940s House Un-American Activities Committee’s hearings that targeted the country’s leading artists, this political docudrama reveals the defiance, humor, fear, resentment, and self-preservation inside one of the darkest chapters of American cultural history. Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County), who helmed this summer’s New York Times Critic’s Pick revival, will also direct this remounting in Arena’s Kreeger Theater, running October 17 – December 6, 2026. For more information, visit arenastage.org/areyounow.
“Bringing Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? to DC right now feels especially resonant,” said Shapiro. “In a city where power, fear, loyalty, and the limits of freedom are constantly in conversation, the questions at the heart of this play feel particularly urgent. I look forward to continuing this journey with our extraordinary team of creatives, and hope that Arena audiences meet this story with the same intensity and curiosity that drew me to it in the first place.”
Featuring the testimonies of artists like Arthur Miller, Jerome Robbins, Paul Robeson, Elia Kazan, Lillian Hellman, Abe Burrows, and Lionel Stander, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? follows a group of entertainers as they confront life’s toughest choices: protect reputations, preserve careers, or betray peers. Revealing a climate of intimidation and moral conflict that resonates far beyond its time, this electrifying docudrama plunges audiences into an intense deposition of the 1940s House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings, where fame offered no protection and political pressure threatened livelihoods.
“This certainly feels like the right time and place for this revival,” said Arena Stage Executive Producer Edgar Dobie. “We are grateful for the meaningful opportunity to engage local artists to give voice to this very Washington, DC story. Special thanks to Jeffery Richards and his partners for assembling such a brilliant team led by the incomparable Anna D. Shapiro.”
Shapiro will be joined by the New York City Center creative team, including set designer Andrew Boyce (Dana H.), costume designer Johanna Pan (Floyd Collins), two-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer Donald Holder (South Pacific), sound designers Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen for Milbo Music (Purpose), projection designer Brittany Bland (CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Arena’s Death on the Nile), and hair and wig designer Brittany Hartman (The Thanksgiving Play). NYC Casting is by The Telsey Office and DC Casting is by Raiyon Hunter, CSA. The stage manager is Morgan R. Holbrook and the assistant stage manager is Dayne Sundman.
The cast will be announced later this month.
The addition of Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? to the Arena Stage 2026/27 season will shift the previously announced season schedule:
- The Fruits of Our Labor will run as originally scheduled, beginning September 10 and running through November 1, 2026 in the Fichandler Stage.
- Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? will run October 17 – December 6, 2026 in the Kreeger Theater.
- Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show will run as originally scheduled, December 4 – 23, 2026 in the Fichandler Stage.
- Prima Facie will run January 8 – March 7, 2027 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.
- Purpose will run March 12 – May 2, 2027 in the Fichandler Stage.
More information about the previously announced NIKOLA – A New Musical will be shared at a later date.
An additional production to run in Spring 2027 in the Kreeger Theater will be announced in Fall 2026.
For more information on the Arena Stage 2026/27 season, visit arenastage.org.
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? runs October 17 – December 6, 2026 in the Kreeger Theater at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 Sixth St SW, Washington, DC. Tickets for Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? are now on sale to subscribers and groups, and will go on sale to the public on September 15.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 7:30PM
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8PM
Saturday and Sunday at 2PM
Weekday matinees at 12PM on October 28; November 5, 19, and 25; and December 2 and 3
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Arena Stage’s many savings programs include discount tickets for those aged 35 and under; military, first responder, and educator discounts; and “Southwest Nights” for those living and working in the District’s Southwest neighborhood. To learn more, visit arenastage.org/tickets/discounts.
Southwest Night Performances: Saturday, October 17 through Wednesday, October 21
Early Curtain Performance: Sunday, November 22, at 6PM
Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, November 14, at 2PM
Closed Captioning: Globetitles will be available at performances starting October 22.
College Night: Saturday, October 17, at 8PM
Students, grab $35 tickets using code COLLEGE, with valid student ID. The night is yours!
Pride Night: Wednesday, October 21, at 7:30PM
Celebrate with $40 tickets using code PRIDE. Come for the show, stay for the vibes!
Arena is proud to partner with the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center and Impulse Group DC for a Pride Night centered on connection, service, and community.
Young Professionals Night: Saturday, October 24, at 8PM
Network over happy hour at 6:30PM, catch the show, and connect with fellow theater lovers! Use code YOUNGPRO (ages 21–45) for $35 tickets.
HBCU & Friends Night: Wednesday, October 28, at 7:30PM
Rep your colors! Calling all HBCU students, staff, and alumni to come out to the show that will have everyone talking. Use code HBCU for $40 tickets.
Arena Conversations
Connect with the show beyond the performance at a post-show conversation on October 28 and November 5 following the 12PM matinees, and on November 17 following the 7:30PM performance.
Please Note: Discount codes for special performances will activate when tickets go on sale to the public on September 15.
TRAVEL: Limited parking is available in Arena Stage’s on-site garage for $22 to $35; call 202-488-3300 to purchase in advance. Drive-up valet parking is also available for $35, cash only. For more information on transportation and other parking options around the Mead Center, visit arenastage.org/parking.
ABOUT ARENA STAGE: The first racially integrated theater in our nation’s capital and a pioneer of the regional theater movement, Arena Stage was founded in 1950 in Washington, DC. Today, under the leadership of Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep, and dangerous in the American spirit, and present diverse and groundbreaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Consistently contributing to the American theatrical lexicon by commissioning and developing new plays, Arena Stage impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement and serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000.
