Former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama’s media company Higher Ground has signed on as a co-producer of “Proof.” The previously announced revival, lead-produced by Mike Bosner and director Thomas Kail, and starring Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle, will begin previews on March 31 and open on April 16 at the Booth Theatre.
Although this revival marks the Obamas’ respective Broadway debuts, they have long shown to be champions of the performing arts. The Obamas are known to be frequent Broadway attendees, and have been spotted at shows like “Hamilton,” the 2009 Broadway revival of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and the 2014 revival of “A Raisin in the Sun.” In 2009, President Obama presented Tony-winning Broadway legend Chita Rivera with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, honoring her contributions to the American theater.
The Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, written by David Auburn, debuted on Broadway in 2000. It centers on Catherine (to be played by Edebiri), the daughter of brilliant mathematician Robert (Cheadle), as she attempts to verify one of his mathematical proofs, delving into the nature of her relationship with her father and his possibly hereditary mental illness.
The 2026 revival — the first time “Proof” has come back to Broadway since the original staging — will feature the Broadway debuts of Emmy Award winner Edebiri and Academy Award nominee Cheadle. It will also feature Grammy nominee Jin Ha and Emmy winner Samira Wiley.
“To bring this landmark play back to Broadway with Ayo, Don, Tommy and Mike at the helm is an extraordinary privilege, and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of this production,” said Barack and Michelle Obama in a joint statement. “‘Proof’ is exactly the kind of story Higher Ground was built to champion: a play that asks profound questions about brilliance, doubt and what we inherit from the people we love most.”
“Proof” is Higher Ground’s first foray into producing theater. The company behind films such as “Leave the World Behind” and documentaries like “Crip Camp” and “American Symphony” has received a collective three Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar for 2019’s “American Factory.” The media company has also received 12 Emmy nominations, winning six, for its television work, and three Grammy nominations, winning two, for its podcasts and Audible Originals.
