Heroes of the Fourth Turning

[2] Throughout the writing process, he grappled with how to invite audiences to engage with the characters' ideas without asking them to empathize with them or providing a platform for hateful speech.

[1] The play grew out of a shorter work that Arbery wrote for Ensemble Studio Theater shortly before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, depicting reactions to an anticipated Clinton victory.

[1][3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taymor staged a virtual revival of the Playwrights Horizons production for five performances from October 21 to 24, 2020, produced by Jeremy O. Harris and hosted on Zoom featuring the original cast.

[2][5] Jesse Green, writing for The New York Times, called it "a red-state unicorn" that "explores the lives and ideas of conservatives with affection, understanding and deep knowledge — if not, ultimately, approval.

"[3] Alissa Wilkinson wrote for Vox, "Arbery is neither blindly accepting nor promoting of his characters; to validate or advance a specific worldview isn't the play's intention.

"[6] In a glowing review for The American Conservative, Rod Dreher wrote, "I can't think of a single novel, film, or play that better illustrates the spirits of our culture war.