WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC, ANYWAY

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An interactive examination of community, democracy and what made the Roman Republic fall

In this tumultuous moment for American democracy, playwrights Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson find it increasingly urgent to focus on what America can learn from the republic that inspired ours: the Roman Republic. This political entity lasted for nearly 500 years before it slid into an autocratic empire. As they dive deep into this history, O’Hare and Peterson expose their own process, demonstrating the difficulties around collaboration. They ask: is it possible to reach consensus? How can two points of view converge in a united vision? Can a democratic system sustain itself in a just way? Is there any way our republic can survive?

Each is standalone, but like episodic theatre, they build on each other for a fuller picture and a more in-depth exploration of these big questions about democracy, collaboration, society, etc. that Denis & Lisa are exploring.

The first performance is live, and the Sunday “Encore” showing is a recording from the live performance.

They haven’t ever been performed before, so we can’t recommend one of them over the other. We’ll be tuning in with you to experience these world premiere theatrical experiences!

Click HERE for the calendar

For the live performances, the running time is being estimated at approximately 90 minutes. This may be slightly different for the encore performances.

Virtual events will have special access codes that grant exclusive online access to each member. Access codes are for one-time use.

For in-person events, we expect to distribute e-tickets to be scanned at the entrance along with increased safety procedures following public health guidelines.

Each customer is limited to one membership. Every member must have a unique email address to access your account and sign up for virtual events.

If you normally have two memberships and you still want to have two tickets for events, we’d recommend the Level 3 membership.

If you normally arrange for a group of three or more people, you’ll each want your own membership so you can access virtual programming while you shelter separately. Think of it like a yoga class—you attend together, but you sign in separately.

If you normally purchase memberships for other people, you’re still welcome to do that, you’ll just need an account for each person you want to “gift” a membership to. Our box office team is happy to help you set up accounts or answer questions!

We will make every possible effort to ensure you’re able to experience these performances! If that’s not possible, we’ll make it right to ensure you get the full value of your membership.