HUAC Drama Are You Now or Have You Ever Been to Be Revived Off-Broadway

Eric Bentley’s docudrama Are You Now or Have You Ever Been will play a 15-week engagement this summer at New York City Center Stage I, beginning June 2.

The play uses transcripts of the testimony given by cultural figures like Arthur Miller, Jerome Robbins, Paul Robeson, Elia Kazan, Lillian Hellman, and Abe Burrows before the 1940s House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The title references the primary question posed to witnesses before that committee: “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” It explores how these figures responded under pressure from a congressional committee–by defending their integrity, protecting their careers, and sometimes by ratting out their peers.

Tony winner Anna D, Shapiro (August: Osage County) directs the production. Casting will be announced at a later date.

The design team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic designer), Johanna Pan (costume designer), Donald Holder (lighting designer), Milbo Music (sound designer), and Brittany Bland (projections designer).

Eric Bentley was one of the great theater critics of the 20th century, largely credited with championing the work of Bertolt Brecht in the United States. He died in 2020, at the age of 103.