Basil Biggs

Event Details

The last 250 years were full of untold stories. World-renowned playwright, actor, and professor Anna Deavere Smith is bringing a piece of her family history to the stage. Having its world premiere as part of What Now: 2026, Basil Biggs is a new play that traces the life story of her great-great-grandfather. A farmer, veterinarian, and prominent Gettysburg figure, he received a contract to disinter and rebury the Union dead after the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Smith uses archival material to imagine how he and his family met the challenges of a tumultuous and transformative time.

Known for Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, and Fires in the Mirror, Deavere Smith has assembled a world-class team of collaborators to realize her vision. Director Leonard Foglia’s work has been seen around the world. His Broadway productions include Master Class with Zoe Caldwell and Audra McDonald (also on the West End with Patti LuPone), Thurgood with Laurence Fishburne (filmed for HBO), and The People in the Picture with Donna Murphy. Meanwhile, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward is a Tony winner for Beauty and the Beast, and Tony nominee for Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George.

Cast announcements coming soon!

Project Description

In honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, eminent playwright, actor and professor, Anna Deavere Smith has written an original play for ArtPhilly’s What Now: 2026 Festival. The Basil Biggs workshop production traces the life of Smith’s great, great, grandfather, a farmer, veterinarian and prominent Gettysburg figure. Biggs received a contract to disinter and rebury the Union dead following the battle of Gettysburg - the bloodiest of the Civil War. Though a prominent figure in his community, it appears that Biggs did not read or write. Smith uses available archival material to imagine how the Biggs family and their friends met the challenges of a tumultuous and transformative time. Directed by Leonard Foglia, and in collaboration with designer Ann Hould-Ward, The Basil Biggs workshop production is emblematic of Smith’s longstanding mission, which is to integrate historical fact and artistic imagination to weave individual stories into cohesive reflections which celebrate American resilience and inspire discussion. Biggs is produced by Bruce Cohen in conjunction with theater artists LaNeshe Miller-White and Zuhairah McGill and historian Andrew Dalton, President & CEO of Gettysburg History.

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The Basil Biggs workshop production has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.