For immediate release
Chicago, IL - June 9, 2025
Join WTTW for An Evening with Ken Burns at The Auditorium in Chicago on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 7:30 pm to preview Burns’s new film, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, coming to Chicago PBS station WTTW in late fall 2025. This very special event will feature selections from the epic six-part, 12-hour documentary and a behind-the-scenes conversation with Ken Burns and filmmakers. Tickets for the event will be available to the public on June 13 at 10:00 am at wttw.com/events and auditoriumtheatre.org/events.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, tells the story of how 13 colonies rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of democratic movements around the globe. An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION premieres on Sunday, November 16 and runs for six consecutive nights through Friday, November 21 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on WTTW, the PBS app, and wttw.com/watch.
“WTTW is thrilled to welcome Ken Burns to Chicago for an authentic conversation about his extraordinary new film, The American Revolution,” said WTTW President and CEO Sandra Cordova Micek. “As it explores a defining moment in our country’s history in a way that hasn’t been done before, this important long-form documentary reminds us of the power of public media storytelling – to share and connect our collective past, present, and future.”
“The Auditorium is proud to partner with WTTW for this special screening and discussion,” said Rich Regan, Chief Executive Officer of The Auditorium. “We are confident that our audience will enjoy this exciting opportunity to hear directly from Ken Burns about this fascinating moment in U.S. history and its relevance today.”
Visit WTTW’s companion website (wttw.com/americanrevolution) in September to explore an immersive photo gallery, an American history quiz, a timeline of the war, stories with local connections, an interview with the filmmakers, and more.
For more than four decades, award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns – along with Florentine Films directors, writers, producers, editors, and cinematographers – have produced some of the most critically acclaimed and most-watched documentaries on public television. These include such classics as The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, and The Roosevelts, as well as monumental recent films including The Vietnam War, Country Music, Hemingway, The U.S. and the Holocaust, The American Buffalo, Leonardo da Vinci, and more.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION is a production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C. Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Produced by Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt, Salimah El-Amin, and Ken Burns. Edited by Tricia Reidy, Maya Mumma, Charles E. Horton, and Craig Mellish. Co-produced by Megan Ruffe and Mike Welt. Cinematography by Buddy Squires. Narrated by Peter Coyote. The executive in charge for WETA was John F. Wilson (who passed away in November of 2024). Executive producer is Ken Burns.
The WTTW presentation of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION is brought to you, in part, by Catherine M. and Frederick H. Waddell in honor of George Washington’s Mount Vernon and The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Funding for the production of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION can be found at pbs.org/kenburns.
WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create, WTTW World, WTTW/PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com, and the PBS app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions – such as Chicago Stories, Chicago Tonight, Chicago by ‘L’, digital-first series Firsthand and Urban Nature; and national productions Prehistoric Road Trip and Nature Cat – WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content. Connect with WTTW on wttw.com, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
The Auditorium is committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to Chicago and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. The Auditorium is the Theatre for the People because it aims to make the arts accessible to all, by bringing people from all across the city together to celebrate the performing arts and continuing to present and produce programming that reflects the rich diversity of the great city of Chicago. Visit auditoriumtheatre.org to learn more.
