Voices of Liberty at New Roads School in Santa Monica

On Thursday, October 15, the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica hosts Voices of Liberty, a staged reading and concert that treats American history as a conversation rather than a victory lap. If you are scanning for things to do in Los Angeles that go beyond another club night or comedy set, this one is worth a look.

What Voices of Liberty is

The program is a curated run of stories, poems and speeches by some of the country's most enduring voices. The source material swings from Monty Python, Mark Twain and Eleanor Roosevelt to Tupac Shakur, Black Hawk and Susan B. Anthony. Songs by Leonard Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Nina Simone and others are woven between the readings. The organizers describe it as a roller coaster ride through a well-intentioned but deeply complicated national story, and the mix of comic and serious voices suggests the evening will move between laughter and something heavier.

Cedering Fox curated and directed the piece. The cast includes Keith David, Fred Melamed, Marianne Jean Baptiste, Tim DeKay and Wendie Malick, joined by Martin Sensmeier, Constance Marie, Kimmy Shields, Amy Keys, David Gautreaux and Sharon Lawrence. Musical Starr Parodi leads the music with Robert Morgan Fisher, Michael Stever and Bernie Dresel.

The evening

When: Thursday, October 15, 2026. Pre-show party 6:30 to 7:40 PM, performances 8:00 to 9:30 PM. Where: The Ann and Jerry Moss Theater, New Roads School, Herb Alpert Educational Village, Santa Monica.

The doors-open party is part of the draw. Organizers list A-Man the DJ, cocktails, food trucks, voter registration and community engagement opportunities before the show starts. Arriving early gives you time to eat, mingle and settle in before the performance.

Planning your night

Ticket details were not published on the listing we used, so check the official event page before you go for current pricing and availability. The page lists the schedule above, and the start time is the pre-show party rather than the curtain.

Santa Monica traffic can be slow on weekday evenings, so leave extra time if you are driving from the Westside or farther east. Parking and drop-off details are best confirmed with the venue or the event page. For more nearby outings, browse our Santa Monica neighborhood page or the full arts and culture category.

If you keep a running list of things happening in Los Angeles this month, Voices of Liberty fits a particular slot: a thoughtful, music-driven night out with a big cast, a live band and a social hour built in. It is a good pick for anyone who likes theater, spoken word or American history, and for friends who would rather talk about what they just heard than what is on the next screen.