Executive Overview
As the Broadway theater district gears up for the Fall 2026 season, few productions carry the profound historical weight and urgent contemporary relevance of Here There Are Blueberries. Co-created by acclaimed director Moisés Kaufman and playwright Amanda Gronich, and presented by the visionary Tectonic Theater Project in a co-production with the La Jolla Playhouse, the play is poised to make a powerful impact when it begins performances on November 2 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
However, the production’s leadership is looking far beyond traditional theatrical milestones. In an ambitious and forward-thinking outreach campaign, the producers have announced a sweeping educational initiative designed to ensure that the next generation of theatergoers, students, and educators can experience the work firsthand. Central to this initiative is the release of 5,500 heavily discounted $10 tickets, alongside fully funded, complimentary matinee performances specifically reserved for New York City public school students and teachers.
Rooted in the harrowing real-life discovery of a photo album documenting Nazi officers relaxing at a resort just steps away from Auschwitz, Here There Are Blueberries challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about complicity, humanity, and memory. By removing financial barriers for thousands of young people, the production’s creators and generous philanthropic backers are transforming the Broadway house into an active classroom for moral inquiry. This comprehensive report explores the mechanics of the student access program, the play’s decorated artistic pedigree, its star-studded Broadway company, and the broader cultural implications of bringing this vital historical drama to the Great White Way.
Detailed Chronology: From Archives to the Broadway Stage
The journey of Here There Are Blueberries from an archival discovery in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to a major Broadway engagement is a masterclass in theatrical investigative journalism. The play’s creation timeline reflects years of meticulous research, collaborative workshops, and critically acclaimed regional and Off-Broadway runs.
1. The Archival Discovery (2007)
The genesis of the play dates back to 2007, when a mysterious photo album was mailed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The album, once belonging to Karl Höcker—the adjutant to Richard Baer, the last commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau—contained hundreds of photographs. Instead of depicting the immediate horrors of the death camp, the images revealed a chilling juxtaposition: SS officers, guards, and administrative staff laughing, singing, playing accordion, and eating blueberries served by young Jewish prisoners at Solahütte, a recreational resort built exclusively for Nazi personnel just miles from the camp.
2. The Development and World Premiere (2022)
Recognizing the profound psychological and historical implications of the artifact, Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich—collaborators best known for the landmark documentary play The Laramie Project—embarked on a multi-year theatrical exploration of the album. They conducted extensive interviews with museum archivists, historians, and descendants of the perpetrators to understand how ordinary people could compartmentalize mass murder while enjoying leisure time. The resulting play had its world premiere in July 2022 at the La Jolla Playhouse in California, where it immediately captivated audiences and critics alike for its unique perspective on the Holocaust.
3. The Off-Broadway Acclaim (2024)
Following its West Coast bow, the production traveled east for a highly anticipated New York premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop. The engagement was a critical triumph. Here There Are Blueberries was named a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and went on to claim the 2025 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. The Off-Broadway run established the work not merely as a historical reenactment, but as an urgent, living dialogue about human behavior, moral blindness, and the preservation of historical evidence in the digital age.
4. The Broadway Engagement (Late 2026 – Early 2027)
Building on its Off-Broadway momentum, Tectonic Theater Project and its producing partners secured the historic Ethel Barrymore Theatre for a strictly limited Broadway run. Performances are scheduled to begin on November 2, 2026, with an official opening night set for November 9. The limited engagement is scheduled to run through January 10, 2027. Alongside this commercial run, the production team finalized the logistics for its unprecedented student access initiative, bridging the gap between elite commercial theater and accessible arts education.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Student Access Initiative
Theater accessibility remains a critical conversation within the modern commercial landscape of Broadway. High ticket prices often place world-class productions out of reach for students, local communities, and younger demographics. Here There Are Blueberries is directly addressing this hurdle through a multi-tiered outreach program backed by a coalition of major philanthropic foundations and private donors.
Financial Breakdown and Access Tiers
The accessibility campaign is structured around three primary pillars:
- The $10 Ticket Initiative: Beginning October 19, a total of 5,500 tickets will be made available exclusively to students at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office (located at 243 West 47th Street). Priced at just $10, these tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis for future performances throughout the run. To qualify, students must present a valid student identification card at the time of purchase.
- Group Sales for Schools: Recognizing that educators often wish to bring entire classes or extracurricular clubs, the production has established a streamlined application process. Student groups consisting of 10 or more participants can secure tickets by completing a dedicated online request form managed by the production’s administrative team.
- Complimentary NYC Public School Matinees: Beyond discounted individual tickets, the initiative guarantees that over 2,000 New York City public school students and educators will attend the production entirely free of charge across two specially designated matinee performances. This ensures that Title I schools and under-resourced districts have equitable access to Broadway educational programming.
Philanthropic Leadership and Funding Partners
The scale of this educational outreach is made possible by an extraordinary coalition of donors and foundations committed to civic engagement, historical education, and the arts. The foundational funding for the initiative is provided by:
- The Gray Foundation
- Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation
- Marcia & John Goldman
- Irwin Jacobs
- Claudia & Kevin Bright
- Shofar Fund
- The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
- Jeff Schoenfeld & Matt Holbein
- Joanna & Robert Meisel
- Laura & Gary Lauder
According to the Tectonic Theater Project, fundraising for the educational initiative remains ongoing. Interested philanthropists and community stakeholders wishing to support the expansion of student access are encouraged to contact Zena Hinds, Deputy Director at Tectonic Theater Project, via official institutional channels.
Official Statements and Artistic Vision
The intersection of historical education and theatrical presentation sits at the heart of Tectonic Theater Project’s mission. In previously released statements regarding the transfer of Here There Are Blueberries to Broadway, director Moisés Kaufman and Tectonic Executive Director Matt Joslyn articulated the profound responsibility carried by the creative team.
"For Tectonic Theater Project, bringing Here There Are Blueberries to Broadway is the culmination of a remarkable journey," Kaufman and Joslyn shared. "These photographs hold a mirror up to our humanity in the most intimate and unsettling way. We have to look at them—not to understand the people in the pictures, but to better understand ourselves."
This philosophy underpins why opening the doors to students is viewed by the producers not as a secondary outreach project, but as central to the play’s core purpose. By inviting younger audiences to analyze the psychological mechanisms of ordinary individuals caught up in extraordinary atrocities, the production uses the stage to foster critical thinking, historical empathy, and civic awareness.
The Creative Team and Broadway Company
To bring this complex narrative to the expansive stage of the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Tectonic has assembled a formidable ensemble combining returning company members from earlier stagings with esteemed Broadway veterans.
The Cast
Several actors from the play’s earlier developmental and Off-Broadway runs will reprise their critically acclaimed performances, ensuring continuity and emotional depth. These returning artists include:
- Scott Barrow
- Kathleen Chalfant
- Delia Cunningham
They are joined by an extraordinary roster of new talent making their debut in the production for its Broadway bow:
- Michelle Beck (A Raisin in the Sun)
- Michael Cerveris (Two-time Tony Award winner, Fun Home)
- Brandon Flynn (13 Reasons Why)
- Montego Glover (An American Daughter)
- Conrad Ricamora (Oh, Mary!)
The company is rounded out by a dedicated team of understudies: Jeanne Sakata, Anna Shafer, Marrick Smith, and Grant James Varjas.
The Design and Production Team
The visual and auditory world of Here There Are Blueberries is shaped by an elite team of Broadway designers:
- Scenic Design: Derek McLane
- Costume Design: Dede Ayite
- Lighting Design: David Lander
- Sound Design: Bobby McElver
- Projection Design: David Bengali (crucial for displaying the archival photographs that drive the narrative)
- Casting: Stephanie Yankwitt
- Dramaturgy: Amy Marie Seidel
- Production Stage Manager: Erin Albrecht
The Broadway run is produced by Tectonic Theater Project alongside Brian & Dayna Lee, Bruce Roberts, Sue Vaccaro, and Ricky Stevens. Chris Morey of 101 Productions serves as executive producer, with general management by Evan Bernardin Productions and production management by Sightline Productions. The staging is a direct co-production with La Jolla Playhouse, presented in association with Michael Hormel and Midnight Theatricals.
Future Outlook: A Landmark Engagement
As November 2 approaches, anticipation for Here There Are Blueberries continues to build across the theatrical landscape. Beyond its potential to capture the attention of awards voters and dramatic critics, the production represents a model for how commercial Broadway shows can integrate deep educational value into their commercial runs.
By ensuring that thousands of students can sit in the audience at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre for $10—or for free through sponsored matinees—the producers of Here There Are Blueberries are guaranteeing that the conversation sparked by Karl Höcker’s photo album will reach the minds and hearts of a new generation. In doing so, the production transcends the boundaries of conventional entertainment, cementing its place as one of the most intellectually rigorous and socially vital theatrical events of the decade.
For further information, box office updates, and group ticket applications, patrons and educators can visit the official production website at HereThereAreBlueberries.com.
