It’s a long hot summer in Philadelphia, and the Continental Congress is an exhausted, annoyed, and quarrelsome collection of men. John Adams, the passionate crusader, races against time: if the tenets of independence can’t be articulated, General Washington’s painfully outnumbered army will have no ideal for which to fight. But the cantankerous Adams is struggling to assert his arguments and this large group of strong-minded individuals isn’t coming together. They might have a chance if Thomas Jefferson would write a declaration. Under these conditions, how will America ever achieve Independence?

Starring Michael Ballam as John Adams.

This production is a part of the 2026 Season of Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre. More information can be found here.