Midwinter Revels

Midwinter Revels is a cherished holiday tradition for over 70,000 people throughout the country. Every December, the Cambridge Revels community gathers in Harvard University’s historic Sanders Theatre to celebrate the season through the traditional songs, dances, and stories of cultures from around the world. This year’s production will be performed live at Sanders Theatre December 12 – 28 and will be followed by a virtual encore streaming option!

Location

Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre in Memorial Hall. 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge MA

FREE PARKING at the Broadway Garage

 

Ticket Prices

Premium Adult  $105
Premium Student/Child  $80

Top Adult  $85
Top Student/Child  $60

Middle Adult  $65
Middle Student/Child  $40

Partial View Adult  $45
Partial View Student/Child  $20

 

Virtual Performance

We will again offer a fully virtual Midwinter Revels experience to audiences around the world!

If you are unable to attend Midwinter Revels live this year (or just want to see it again!), join us for a virtual extended run. Your virtual Event Pass will include unlimited access during the viewing period to a digitally enhanced version of this year’s Midwinter Revels, recorded during a live performance in Sanders Theatre. 

 

Closed Captioning and ASL Interpretation

Revels is excited to provide closed captioning access to all patrons of Midwinter Revels. This service is free, available at all performances, and easily accessible from any smartphone with internet access. Instructions on how to use closed captioning are posted at the theatre at the product table in the lobby. If you need assistance, please see an usher or member of the Revels staff. Closed captioning is provided by Access Tech.

ASL interpreters will be provided for select performances. Those who require ASL interpretation can purchase seats that allow for premium viewing of interpreters.

LIVE PERFORMANCE TICKETS
Midwinter Revels:

$45 – 105 / Ticket

Tickets on sale this fall!

*Donors of $140+ annually get special ticket TWO WEEKS earlier than the general public! Make your donation today and get your first pick of Midwinter Revels tickets – learn more here.

Learn how EBT and WIC card holders can receive ticket discounts for Midwinter Revels

Closed Captioning: Revels is excited to provide closed captioning access to all patrons of Midwinter Revels. This service is free, available at all performances, and easily accessible from any smartphone with internet access. Instructions on how to use closed captioning are posted at the theatre at the product table in the lobby. If you need assistance, please see an usher or member of the Revels staff. Closed captioning is provided by access tech.

Parking: Your tickets to Midwinter Revels include free parking at the nearby Broadway Garage, Felton Street, Cambridge. We also encourage Revels attendees to use public transportation. Sanders Theatre is a short walk from the Harvard Square Red Line stop.

Performance Schedule:

Friday December 12th - Sunday, December 28th

14 Performances – Matinees and Evenings

Location: Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre, Cambridge, MA

FREE PARKING at the Broadway Garage – Learn More

Midwinter Revels Ticket Prices

Premium Adult  $105
Premium Student/Child  $80

Top Adult  $85
Top Student/Child  $60

Middle Adult  $65
Middle Student/Child  $40

Partial View Adult  $45
Partial View Student/Child  $20

 

14 Performances
December 12 – 28

Full performance schedule will be available soon!

Parking

VIRTUAL ENCORE EVENT PASSES
Midwinter Revels:
35 /per household

December 28, 2025 1:00 pm ET - January 11, 2026 11:59 pm ET

Join us for a virtual encore of Midwinter Revels! Your virtual event pass includes unlimited access during the viewing period to our 55th annual Midwinter Revels, recorded during a live performance at Sanders Theatre. 

This year’s viewing period will last from Sunday, December 28 at 1 PM ET through Sunday, January 11 at 11:59 PM ET. Bring the family together this New Year’s Eve for a viewing party and welcome the magic of Midwinter Revels into your home! Watch as many times as you like during the viewing window.

Learn more about accessing and using your virtual event pass

(Event pass confirmations may be sent to spam folders, so please make sure to check there!)

Virtual event passes will be available for purchase later this fall!

Meet the Artists
Full artist information will be available soon!
David Coffin
Master of Ceremonies
David Coffin
Master of Ceremonies

David Coffin (Master of Ceremonies) is a firm believer in not doing anything full-time. While he’s been on the Revels stage since 1980 and performed as Master of Ceremonies since 1990, he also presents two very interactive School Enrichment Programs with Revels: The History of the Recorder and A Maritime Voyage in Song. March through November, David can also be found on the Boston Harbor, narrating harbor history and running the crew onboard the high-speed stunt boat, Codzilla. Working with kids is a passion for David, so taking over 10,000 inner-city kids out to the Harbor Islands every summer since 2000 through Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has been a nice way to round out his year.

During the pandemic, David created over 600 videos on TikTok trying to teach young people what a real sea chantey is (i.e. NOT WELLERMAN!) A byproduct of these videos is the digital album The Sound of Time, a series of “one take” songs requested by followers on the app. David has produced a series of virtual concerts, one of which became a digital album; A Revels Hymn Sing. David has several other solo CDs to his credit and was also featured in the Amazon Prime movie Blow the Man Down as the Singing Fisherman.

In his years with Revels, including 10 years standing behind Jack Langstaff and 33 years spent trying to fill his enormous shoes, David learned an awful lot about performing from Jack. He also owes a huge debt of gratitude to Paddy Swanson for giving him his various onstage roles and for preserving and honoring “the part that Jack built.”

Debra Wise
Director
Debra Wise
Director

Debra Wise (Director, Revels Interim Artistic Director)co-founded Underground Railway Theater in Oberlin, Ohio; from 1978-2008, URT toured original works in the collaborative spirit of its namesake to venues ranging from Lincoln Center, to schools, to Symphony Hall, including Sanctuary-The Spirit of Harriet Tubman, Home is Where, InTOXICating, and Christopher Columbus Follies; with the Boston Symphony, Firebird, Creation of the World, and Tempest. As URT’s Artistic Director, she created performances for non-traditional venues, including the Museum of Science, MIT Museum, Mary Baker Eddy Library, the MFA, and on the streets of Cambridge. After founding Central Square Theater with Nora Theatre Company in 2008, Wise co-founded Catalyst Collaborative@MIT, CST’s science theater partnership. She led partnerships with Mount Auburn Cemetery and the National Park Service (Roots of Liberty–The Haitian Revolution and the American Civil War). Productions Wise helmed have won Elliot Norton awards, including Vanity Fair; black odyssey boston; The Convert, and Constellations. Acting appearances at CST have included Angels in America, Half-Life of Marie Curie, Homebody, Copenhagen, Einstein’s Dreams, and Arabian Nights; other stages include Commonwealth Shakespeare, New Rep, Speakeasy, Boston Playwrights, Greater Boston Stage, and the Public in NYC (The Haggadah, designed by Julie Taymor). She has adapted for the stage works by Dickens, Grace Paley, Lewis Carroll, and Gregory Maguire. She developed the Art Works for Schools curriculum with Harvard’s Project Zero, the DeCordova Museum, and area schools. Wise left her CST Artistic Director position in 2022 to invite diverse leadership; she continues as Co-Chair of the CC@MIT Advisory Committee. She co-authored a digital book on URT’s history (www.URTheaterEbook.com); and is the narrator for Gregory Maguire’s series of novels, Another Day, which marked a return to his epic Wicked narrative.

Elijah Botkin
Music Director
Elijah Botkin
Music Director

Elijah Botkin (Music Director, Revels Music Director), a Boston-based conductor, arranger, choral educator, and performer, was named Revels’ Music Director in December of 2021. He graduated from Northeastern University in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in Music History & Analysis and Mathematics. While at Northeastern, Elijah founded and directed the Northeastern Madrigal Singers, served as President and Assistant Conductor for the NU Choral Society, and sang with and arranged for the award-winning a cappella group Distilled Harmony.

Elijah’s work on Distilled Harmony’s quarterfinal-winning performance set won the distinction of Outstanding Arrangement from the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. His arrangement of “Nothing Feels Like You” by Little Mix also won a CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award) for Best Mixed Collegiate Song. In 2014, Elijah was granted the Gideon Klein Award in order to write his composition The Closed Town, which was premiered by the Northeastern University Chamber Choir in April 2015.

In addition to his role with Revels, Elijah continues to direct the NU Madrigal Singers and was recently named the Interim Music Director of the Reading Community Singers for Spring 2023. He is also a frequent performer with a variety of professional ensembles in the Boston area, with recent and upcoming performances including appearances with Carduus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel, the NU Madrigal Singers 10th Anniversary Concert, the Nightingale Vocal Ensemble’s recent concerts SALONMUSIK and BLUE SUN, and Nightingale’s upcoming season gala Renaissance Reimagined. He is passionate about using choir, and the power of singing together, to bring joy to anyone and everyone willing to lend their voice.

Patrick Swanson
Senior Artistic Advisor
Patrick Swanson
Senior Artistic Advisor

Patrick “Paddy” Swanson (Senior Artistic Advisor) began his career in London as an actor at the Arts Theatre in the West End. In 1969, following a European tour with the La MaMa Plexus Troupe, he moved to New York and received his world theater education as a resident actor at La MaMa E.T.C. His numerous directing projects include opera, ensemble pieces, music theater, and circus. He was a founding stage director of Circus Flora and the Artistic Director of Revels. Paddy taught acting and improvisation at the London Academy of Dramatic Art (L.A.M.D.A.), the London Drama Centre, and the Tisch School of the Arts at N.Y.U. He served as artistic director of the Castle Hill Festival in Ipswich, Massachusetts, directing and co-producing opera and theater works, including the premieres of Julie Taymor’s Liberty Taken and Peter Sellars’ production of Cosi fan tutte. He directed the Boston Camerata in Tristan and Iseult at the Spoleto USA festival and Shirley Valentine at the Alley Theatre, Houston, and the Charles Playhouse, as well as numerous other productions in the U.K. and Europe. His Actor’s Shakespeare Project production of Shakespeare’s King Lear with Alvin Epstein was nominated for three 2006 Elliot Norton awards and subsequently transferred Off-Broadway. Paddy’s most recent acting role was as Father Jack in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa at Gloucester Stage. He was the Artistic Director of Revels for 34 years, and in his current role as Senior Artistic Advisor, serves as a consultant to the other eight Revels production companies performing throughout the United States.

Sarah Higginbotham
Assistant Music Director
Sarah Higginbotham
Assistant Music Director

Trained as a clinical social worker, Sarah Higginbotham (Assistant Music Director) finds joy in developing authentic ways to create multigenerational community through creative arts. She’s been a songleader in schools, camps, churches, and children’s theaters. Sarah was the Revels Education Director from 2005-2009, establishing after-school workshops and in-school residencies around greater Boston, and she has assisted the music directors of Revels for over 20 years. Sarah currently serves as Director of Communications & Christian Formation at First Church in Cambridge, UCC.

Rave Reviews

The colder and stormier the December, the better the Revels……the annual festival of song, dance and drama reflects feelings as old as humanity itself: fear of chill and darkness at the winter solstice, celebration as the sun begins to return.

New York Times

Thank you for still finding a way to share Revels with us; I am newer to the show, but in the last few years it has truly become a part of my holiday traditions, and I would have missed it sorely.

Amber R.

Revels exemplifies the power of good ideas not contained! By creating its own annual custom, Revels has found a unique way to celebrate the seasonal rituals of the world…To my family, the celebration has become tradition wrapped in tradition.

Yo-Yo Ma, cellist
How to Watch the Virtual Show
  • Purchase Tickets

    First, purchase your Midwinter Revels 2025 Virtual Event Pass – passes will be available for purchase this fall!

  • Get the Link and Code

    After you purchase your Midwinter Revels 2024 Event Pass, you will be sent an email with a blue button that links to the virtual performance. This email should arrive almost immediately. When you click the blue button, it will bring you to a screen that asks you to enter your access code. The code should auto-fill, but if for some reason it doesn’t, you can find that access code in your confirmation email.

  • Agree to Terms of Service

    Once your code is entered, make sure you check the box that indicates you agree with the terms of service. You’ll then be able to click the big “Begin Watching” button. Sit back, and enjoy the show!

  • Sending The Midwinter Revels as a Gift

    To send someone the gift of Midwinter Revels, purchase your event pass as above and simply forward the confirmation email to the recipient. If you purchase more than one link, be sure to let your recipient know which link is for them. Remember – only one device can use a link at a time.

  • Performance Dates

    The Virtual Encore viewing period will last from Sunday, December 28 at 1 PM ET – Sunday, January 11 at 11:59 PM ET.

  • Pick a Device

    Decide in advance which device you would prefer to use to watch the performance. You can only watch the performance on one device at a time. If you click on the link on a second device, the performance will close on the first device. For example, if you are watching on your computer and you open the email on your tablet and click on the Start Watching button, the performance will open on your tablet but close on your computer.

  • Internet Browser Requirements

    As of August 2021, Microsoft has sunset the browser Internet Explorer. Any updates made using Internet Explorer as your browser are no longer supported and may cause changes to not update. Our patrons have also had technical difficulties using Safari to watch Midwinter Revels.

    The following browsers are officially supported:

    • Chrome for Android 34+
    • Chrome for Desktop 34+
    • Firefox for Android 41+
    • Firefox for Desktop 42+
    • Edge for Windows 10+
    • Safari for Mac 8+ (beta)

  • What if I’m unable to open the video?

    If you click on the Start Watching button before the performance is available, you will see a pink bar across the top of the page that tells you when the video will be available.

    If you continue to experience issues with your viewing, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

  • How many times can I watch?

    As many times as you want! Once you purchase your event pass tickets and receive your code, you’ll be able to watch at any time during our performance window dates.

  • What if my video is glitching?

    You can fix this by adjusting your video quality to a lower resolution. To do this, clicking the gear on the bottom right corner of the screen. In order to stream, we suggest having an internet speed of least 25 mbps.

  • Can I watch on a bigger screen?

    Yes! Virtual events must be viewed in a web browser, whether that is on your computer, tablet, mobile device, or smart TV. You can use an HDMI cable to hook your computer up to a television, allowing you to stream the performance on your TV screen. Or you can cast directly to your television if you have a device that allows you to do so. Here are some tips.

  • What if I've lost my link?

    No worries! Sometimes, our confirmation and/or reminder emails go directly to junk or spam folders in your email. If you cannot locate your confirmation, contact us and we will help you access the video.

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