Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-04-15
Today, American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University announced the first three titles of its 2026-27 season, including the world premiere of musician and activist Chadwick Stokes’ rock opera 1972. The project has been a labor of love for Stokes, who first debuted songs from 1972 during the 2024 Annual Benefit Weekend for his nonprofit Calling All Crows and later workshopped the material at various sold-out venues, including The Public Theater’s Joe’s Pub.
Written by Stokes alongside co-writer and director Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam, Waitress), the rock opera’s official debut will feature an ensemble of actor-musicians that includes Stokes, with more to be announced soon.
1972 will run October 27 through November 22, 2026, at Farkas Hall at Harvard University.
A.R.T. season subscriptions will be available beginning in late April. Single tickets for 1972 will be available this summer at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org.
“I’ve thought for years about writing a rock opera and kept coming back to the pull of freight train-hopping—the grit, the motion, and the way it lets you see the country up close,” said Chadwick Stokes. “Telling that alongside the story of a young woman in 1972 fighting for control over her own body felt like a way into something that still resonates, especially as we face renewed challenges today.”
Set in the year 1972, the rock opera follows pregnant 19-year-old Hannah as she flees an abusive relationship and finds unexpected camaraderie with three outcasts riding the rails of America, outrunning ghosts of their own. After barely escaping an illegal abortion, she meets the Janes, an underground network of courageous women who risk everything to provide a choice to women with nowhere to turn. Inspired by true stories of these hidden heroes, this world-premiere rock opera fuels the critical ongoing fight for personal freedom.
“When I first heard Chad’s score for 1972, it felt wholly original; it was not only the seeds of a beautiful, powerful musical, it was also a call to care and respond,” said Jessie Nelson, co-writer and director. “You look for theater that meets the moment. 1972 does.”
A.R.T.’s 2026-27 season will also include Rhinoceros, directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, and the Helen Hayes Award-winning Mexodus. A Tony Award-winning creative hub, A.R.T. has developed and premiered many productions over its storied 45-year history, including Waitress, Jagged Little Pill, and Sleep No More, and launched the North American productions of Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) and Life of Pi, among others.
About Chadwick Stokes
Chadwick Stokes is an accomplished musician, songwriter, and activist from Boston. In his teens, he started the band DISPATCH and went on to establish State Radio and Chadwick Stokes and the Pintos.
DISPATCH alone has sold more than a million albums, and the band’s live performances have sold out iconic venues around the world, including multiple nights at Madison Square Garden. The band also gave one of the most historic concerts in Boston, drawing more than 110,000 people. Stokes received an RIAA Platinum Award for sales of the DISPATCH song “The General.”
Chadwick also co-created the HBO documentary and MTV television series How’s Your News, executive produced by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The project followed a group of reporters with various disabilities, emphasizing empowerment, inclusion, and the breaking down of societal barriers while highlighting the reporters’ humanity rather than their disabilities.
Along with his wife, Sybil, Stokes co-founded Calling All Crows, a nonprofit organization dedicated since 2008 to engaging music fans around women’s issues both at home and abroad. Calling All Crows has mobilized tens of thousands of music fans to volunteer more than 35,000 hours, donated more than $1 million, and inspired more than 50,000 actions in support of feminist community organizations. In 2008, Stokes was honored as Humanitarian of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.
About Jessie Nelson
Jessie Nelson wrote the book for the musical Waitress, with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, directed by Diane Paulus. It was developed at A.R.T. and went on to become the first Broadway musical created by an all-female team. Nelson directed Alice by Heart, which she co-wrote with Steven Sater and featured music by Duncan Sheik, first for the National Theatre’s Connections Program in London and later at MCC in New York City.
Nelson wrote, directed, and produced I Am Sam, starring Sean Penn, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance, and Corrina, Corrina with Whoopi Goldberg. She also co-created and directed the series Little Voice with Sara Bareilles for Bad Robot and Apple TV+.
Among her other directing credits are Curb Your Enthusiasm and Love, the Coopers. Her writing credits include Stepmom and The Story of Us for Rob Reiner. Nelson will direct the film Norma with Jessica Gunning and June Squibb. She began her career as an actress at The Public Theater, working with the experimental theater company Mabou Mines and performing with the New York Shakespeare Festival. She also co-wrote the children’s book Labracadabra, is producing Brown Baby written by Nikesh Shukla and Himesh Patel, and serves as co-artistic director of the Sundance Writers Labs.
About American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University is a leading force in American theater, producing groundbreaking theatrical experiences that catalyze dialogue and transformation. Led by Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus, A.R.T. is a Tony Award-winning creative hub that has launched productions seen on Broadway, across the United States, and around the world throughout its 45-year history.
As the professional theater on campus, A.R.T. plays a central role at Harvard University, catalyzing discourse, interdisciplinary collaboration, and creative exchange while sharing University resources with the broader community. Driven by its value of leading with inquiry, A.R.T. builds community with audiences, artists, students, staff, and neighbors across Greater Boston, embracing theater’s power to cultivate the full breadth and beauty of our shared humanity.
A.R.T.’s new home in Boston, the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Creativity & Performance, is currently under construction and will begin welcoming audiences in spring 2027. The new center will include flexible adaptive spaces to rehearse, create, teach, and convene in community, fueling A.R.T.’s vision and creative work for years to come.
