Anna Deavere Smith and Basil Biggs: A Live Performance in Gettysburg

In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, acclaimed playwright, actor, and professor Anna Deavere Smith brings Basil Biggs to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for a special presentation of selected scenes on July 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Kline Theatre inside Brua Hall on the Gettysburg College campus.

Developed for ArtPhilly’s What Now: 2026 Festival, Smith’s new play traces the life of her great-great-grandfather, Basil Biggs, a farmer, veterinarian, and Underground Railroad operative who later received a contract to disinter the Union dead after the Battle of Gettysburg. Drawing from archival material, Smith reimagines the lives of Biggs, his family, and their community as they moved through one of the most defining periods in American history.

This Gettysburg performance offers an early look at a larger work that blends historical fact with artistic interpretation, spotlighting personal stories that deepen the broader American experience. Anna Deavere Smith will take part in a Q&A immediately following the performance.

Gettysburg History presents the program in partnership with the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, with hosting support from the College’s Theatre Arts Department.

Kline Theatre is located inside Brua Hall along West Water Street between Penn Hall Drive and North Washington Street in Gettysburg, PA.

Registration is required. Tickets cost $30 for Gettysburg History members and $40 for general admission. Reserve your tickets here.