UPCOMING
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GO DOWN, MOSES
WORLD PREMIERE
May 13 - 31 2026, A.R.T./New York, Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre
by Dana Leslie Goldstein
Directed by Brandon Weber
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It’s 1985. Ethics professor Philip Hoffman and newly appointed Dean of Students Albert Becker already have a long history: they marched side by side for civil rights, registered voters together during Freedom Summer, and have maintained a friendship that crosses boundaries of race, religion, and country of birth.
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Now, they work at a small, liberal university, where part of the job is shaping a new generation of activists. But when a star student from the South Bronx challenges the administration and invites a controversial speaker to campus, free speech becomes a battle cry. Long‑festering inequities rise to the surface, and old friends are forced to see each other—and themselves—more clearly.
Although set nearly forty years ago, the play speaks directly to the challenges facing communities and college campuses today. The conflicts at its center—who gets a platform, how institutions navigate political extremism, and what safety and inclusion truly mean—mirror ongoing debates about freedom of speech, identity, and power in our current climate. Go Down, Moses explores how people respond when their values collide with fear, when alliances shift under pressure, and when communities must choose between maintaining harmony and taking a stand. It is a timely, resonant piece about responsibility, courage, and the cost of both action and silence.
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Meet Playwright Dana Leslie Goldstein:
Dana Leslie Goldstein is a playwright, lyricist and librettist who has won the New England New Play Competition, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Playwriting Prize, Different Voices New Play Award, ACTF New Play Award, Henry Hoyns Poetry Fellowship, AWP Intro Award, an Academy of American Poets Prize and numerous development grants. Her work has been seen at Manhattan Theatre Club, Symphony Space, Cherry Lane, Culture Project, Women’s Project, The York, Theatre80, Theater for the New City, New Dramatists, Center Stage, BMI, Vineyard Playhouse... the New York Musical Theatre Festival, on Ellis and Liberty Islands, at the U.N. and on Equity TYA tours. Dana’s plays are published by Next Stage Press, Smith & Kraus, Applause Books and Palmetto Press. Dana is a librettist and lyricist in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, a playwright member of PlayGround-NY, Brave New World Rep and The Workshop Theater, and an alum of the Playwrights Lab at Women’s Project, NewShoe and DVRF. Dana holds MFAs in Playwriting and Poetry, both funded by full writing fellowships. Dana is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. For more information, visit www.danalesliegoldstein.com.
Agent: Michael Moore, Michael@MichaelMooreAgency.com
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Meet Director Brandon M. Weber:
New Orleans native Brandon M. Weber is a distinguished theatre and film curator who has experienced every facet of the industry. From performing Off-Broadway and on national tours to directing regional theatre and short films, Weber's extensive background includes casting for Broadway with Telsey & Co and coordinating major events such as the VMAs and the Global Citizen Music Festival. Over the past five years, he has produced a variety of innovative projects in New York. Weber is dedicated to breaking barriers for the African Diaspora by presenting narratives that defy the status quo and incorporating unique storytelling methods that challenge audiences.