1776 at Ford's Theatre — Weekend Run

Ford’s Theatre is staging 1776 through May 16, with performances this weekend, April 24 to April 26, in downtown Washington. (fords.org) The production runs about three hours, including a 15-minute intermission, and Ford’s recommends it for ages 13 and up. The theater lists a sensory-friendly performance for Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. (fords.org) Ford’s describes the musical as a dramatization of the Second Continental Congress, with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson pressing for independence from Britain. The 2026 cast includes Jonathan Atkinson as Adams, Derrick D. Truby Jr. as Franklin and Jake Loewenthal as Jefferson. (fords.org) The timing is deliberate. Ford’s 2025-2026 season is built around the nation’s semiquincentennial, and the theater says 1776 is part of its programming for the 250th year of the Declaration of Independence. (fords.org) That gives the musical an unusual setting: it is playing at the Washington theater best known as the site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, while the city and national groups are mounting anniversary events tied to 1776. (dc250.us) Ford’s has put the show on its historic mainstage under director and choreographer Luis Salgado, with music direction by Clay Ostwald. Tickets and showtimes are being handled through the theater’s event page and ticketing partners, so availability can change quickly heading into the weekend. (fords.org) The musical itself is not new. 1776 won the Tony Award for best musical in 1969, and Ford’s is presenting it in a season built to connect founding-era history with current anniversary commemorations. (dctheaterarts.org) If you go this weekend, expect a history musical built around debate rather than battle scenes — and a production timed to Washington’s biggest anniversary calendar before July 4, 2026. (fords.org)