2020 Season

Celebrating Women's Voices

All plays are written and directed by women.

Returning theater purchasers can now purchase their tickets by calling the Ticket Office at 716-357-6250.

Sense and Sensibility

by Kate Hamill
Adapted from the Jane Austen novel
July 3–19

It’s Jane Austen like you’ve never seen it before. When their father’s death drastically changes their family’s financial situation, sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood find themselves navigating society and relationships in a whole new way. Is there such a thing as a second chance for love? Kate Hamill’s fresh adaptation captures Austen’s whimsical wit and dynamic ensemble storytelling springs the novel to life on the Bratton stage.

The Pill Play

by Tyne Rafaeli
A Chautauqua Commission
August 14–23

In 1916, Maragaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S. and was arrested for promoting contraception. In the 1960’s the birth control pill changed the sexual landscape for American women. In 2019, the birth rate in the U.S. has plummeted and women increasingly struggle with infertility. Have the advances in reproductive health tricked us into thinking we are in control? This is the premiere production of a CTC commission by hit off-Broadway and Drama Desk-nominated director Tyne Rafaeli.

Twelfth Night

by William Shakespeare
Adapted & Directed by Sarah Elizabeth Wansley
July 1–19

CTC’s free outdoor Shakespeare tour continues with Shakespeare’s best comedy. A shipwreck leaves Viola and her twin brother Sebastian stranded on an island, each thinking the other is dead. Viola dresses as a man to serve the Duke Orsino, who sends her to woo his love, Olivia, who has also recently lost a beloved brother. Through cross-dressing antics, witty fools and soulful music, grief melts into love and giddily spins out of control in this heartwarming 90-minute comedy. Family friendly.

No Child...

Written & Performed by Nilaja Sun
Directed by Hal Brooks
August 4–7

When actor Nilaja Sun lands a gig teaching theatre to teenagers in the Bronx she knows it won’t be easy, but her six-week journey into the heart of the public school system goes deeper than she anticipates. In this tour de force solo performance hailed as “Marvelous...touching and funny” by the New York Times, master storyteller Nilaja Sun transforms into the students, teachers, parents, and janitors of one NYC school with rapid-fire precision. Sparkling with wit and wisdom, No Child… probes the state of our public school system and the everyday heroes struggling to make it better.

Chautauqua Theater Company is thrilled to have Obie and NAACP Award-winning artist Nilaja Sun in residence to perform her play No Child… and teach a masterclass workshop on solo performance to the CTC conservatory.