UVA Drama Presents: ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN?, by Eric Bentley

This engaging documentary drama revisits the entertainment professionals called before the House Un‑American Activities Committee at the height of 1950s McCarthy‑era investigations. Drawing directly from historical transcripts, the ensemble cast reanimates the testimonies of Paul Robeson, Lillian Hellman, Jerome Robbins, José Ferrer, Arthur Miller, and many others. As these artists are pressed to prove their loyalty and name suspected communists, the play reveals the pressure to conform, the strain on personal lives, and the fierce commitment to principle that shaped a generation. ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN? is history in the spotlight and drama at its most urgent.