Pre-Broadway 1776; Idina Menzel in Wild; Whitney White's Macbeth in Stride Set for A.R.T. Season

American Repertory Theater has announced its in-person 2021-22 season.

The season will kick off with two premieres: Ayodele Casel's Chasing Magic, exploring the magic of tap dance, and Whitney White's Macbeth in Stride, an examination of what it means to be an ambitious Black woman through the lens of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth. The former, running September-October 2021, is directed by Torya Beard; the latter, which White will perform under the direction of Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar, runs October-November 2021.

Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens will begin her tenure as artistic director of Silkroad Ensemble with Phoenix Rising, "a collective grieving song and clarion call," for three nights, November 19-21. The year will be rounded out in December by the world premiere of Wild in Concert, a new musical fable about a single mother and her teenage daughter, whose determination to save the planet endows her with super powers. Wild has a book and lyrics by V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, with score by Justin Tranter and Caroline Pennell. Diane Paulus directs the show, which will feature Idina Menzel.

Kicking off 2022 will be Ocean Filibuster, a new theater piece that finds the Ocean arriving to speak in its own defense after the Senate proposes an "End of Ocean" bill. Written by Lisa D'Amour, the PearlDamour production is directed by Katie Pearl, with music by Sxip Shirey. Jennifer Kidwell will appear in the show, which runs February-March. That spring will see the pre-Broadway run of Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus's new revival of Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards's 1776, featuring an all-female, nonbinary, trans, and genderqueer company. The musical, running May-June, will then transfer to Broadway in the fall, and will be followed by a national tour in 2023.

For kids, the theater will present Julia Riew's Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Adventure in the winter of 2021. Rebecca Aparicio directs the show, with Ian Chan serving as orchestrator and musical director.

Further information about each production is still to be announced.