Arena Stage is staging the words of artists who faced the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the 1940s, and the production runs through Dec. 6 in Southwest D.C.

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?, written by Eric Bentley and directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro, uses only original transcripts from the HUAC hearings. The play arrived at Arena's Kreeger Theater on Oct. 17 after an Off-Broadway run at New York City Center, where it earned a New York Times Critic's Pick, according to Arena Stage's announcement.

The docudrama features testimony from figures including Arthur Miller, Paul Robeson, Lillian Hellman, Elia Kazan, Jerome Robbins, Abe Burrows and Lionel Stander. Each faced the committee's demand to name colleagues with Communist ties, a process that destroyed careers and reputations across American arts and entertainment.

Shapiro, who also directed the New York revival, said in Arena's press release that bringing the play to D.C. "feels especially resonant."

"In a city where power, fear, loyalty, and the limits of freedom are constantly in conversation, the questions at the heart of this play feel particularly urgent," Shapiro said.

Arena Stage Executive Producer Edgar Dobie said the revival "certainly feels like the right time and place" in the same announcement.

Two performances stand out in Washington City Paper's Nov. 3 review by Allison R Shely. Kevin Mambo plays Robeson, whose testimony the reviewer described as "the most direct challenge these powerful men face." Peter Jacobson plays comedian Abe Burrows, whose meandering, comedic delivery sent "the audience, but not the committee members, into stitches."

The show runs 105 minutes with no intermission. Shely called it "timely, but overly long," noting the formula of 17 consecutive witness testimonies grows repetitive in the second half.

The 11-member cast includes Jason Babinsky, who reprises his role from the New York City Center production, along with Edward L. Simon, Greg Stuhr, John Leslie Wolfe, Philip Earl Johnson, Aaron Bliden, Rivka Borek and Jeff Still, according to Arena's casting announcement.

Arena Stage Artistic Advisor Tazewell Thompson said in the casting release that he urged the theater to mount the production after seeing it in New York. "It's brilliant, compelling, frighteningly relevant, and echoes today's indictment of American citizens," Thompson said.

If you go

Performances run Tuesday through Sunday at the Kreeger Theater, 1101 Sixth St. SW. Tickets start at $37, according to Arena Stage's casting announcement. The Washington City Paper review lists prices from $25 to $97. The theater offers discounts for those 35 and under, military members, first responders, educators and Southwest neighborhood residents. Post-show conversations are scheduled following the Nov. 5 matinee at noon and the Nov. 17 performance at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at arenastage.org or by calling 202-488-3300.