Spoleto Festival USA commissioned and produced George + George as a centerpiece of its America 250 programming, commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. The staged reading had its world premiere at the Festival on May 29, 2026, at the College of Charleston’s Emmett Robinson Theatre. Co-creators Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson drew inspiration from a remarkable true event in 1778, when George Washington staged Joseph Addison’s Cato—a play banned by the British—to boost morale among Continental Army troops during the winter encampment at Valley Forge. It is the creators’ third Spoleto collaboration after An Iliad (2023) and The Song of Rome (2024).
A comedic romp through the American Revolution, the play reimagines the founding era and the enduring ideals of democracy with sharp humor and theatrical flair. “We do hope that in the midst of laughing, the audience might also be prodded to dwell on the very complicated past that we are currently celebrating,” said O’Hare and Peterson.
The Post and Courier described the play as “playful, casual and punchy” with “an earnest undercurrent.” Charleston City Paper called it “a genial peek under the hood of theater-making.”
George + George is a play within a play, presented as a staged reading, with stage direction by Rachel Christopher, sound design by Andrew Rovner and Mark Bennett, original music by Mark Bennett, casting directed by Claire Yenson, CSA, and production stage management by Campbell Anidjar.
The program was also offered as a free simulcast on May 30 at the Charleston Visitor Center, allowingthe public to experience one of the Festival’s most anticipated events as part of the America 250 commemoration.