About
Who We Are
Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) produces high-quality, live theater in a vibrant nine-week summer season. We are committed to the development of new work, the next generation of theater artists, producing galvanizing world premieres as well as exceptional modern and contemporary plays, and infusing fresh insight into the classical canon.
CTC is dedicated to becoming a national home for exciting new plays: commissioning, developing and producing new and established American playwrights. We are where the finest artists of tomorrow bridge the gap between their training and the professional world. CTC is actively building the future of the American theater.
Our Mission
CTC is where world-class theater and education converge in America’s best small town.
CTC’s passion is to tell great stories by great writers with great artists for great audiences.
CTC is committed to being a vibrant player in the panoply of arts at Chautauqua Institution.
CTC’s mission is to create theater that entertains and stimulates thoughtful involvement within our immediate and extended communities.
We Value…
Excellence. We make every effort to provide the highest atmosphere of creativity, possibility, and professionalism.
Inclusion. We champion diversity throughout the company, our work, and within our community.
New work. We develop and produce new works for the theater and look forward to building out our commissioning program by supporting both new and established writers.
Education. We provide opportunities for emerging theater artists to work side-by-side with world-class veterans in their field.
Community. We are committed to building and maintaining relationships within our various communities: our company, our audiences, Chautauqua Institution, the wider Chautauqua County, and the national theater community.
Fairness. We strive for an equitable work environment.
Accessibility. We continue to grow our points of accessibility for audiences, artists, and staff.
We value: Great Storytelling. Joy. Laughter. Open Dialogue. Challenging Conversations. The Creative Impulse.
Our Vision
CTC aims to be a nationally recognized incubator for new American plays.
CTC aspires to be a place where all people and their stories feel a sense of belonging.
CTC seeks to become an integral artistic voice in the dialogue that will lead to a better America.
CTC will be an artistic home, fostering a creative and inclusive environment for artists and artisans.
CTC is building the future of the American theater, developing new plays and the artists of tomorrow.
Our History
The Chautauqua Theater Company has a unique role to play in the American Theater — it offers our loyal and discerning audience the best in classical, contemporary, and new plays and features a company made up of internationally acclaimed professional actors, directors, designers, playwrights, and faculty, joined by the finest emerging actors in the country.
As originally conceived by founding artistic director Michael Kahn, the goal of the CTC was to build “a professional theater company centered at Chautauqua that would, in the future, be able to do a season of very, very good theater combining professional actors and students.”
Under the 18-year stewardship of the incomparable Rebecca Guy, the Conservatory emerged to fill Michael’s original vision of a resident company at Chautauqua. Patiently, with years of support from Chautauquans near and far, Guy built the infrastructure of a sustainable theater organization and completed the stunning renovation of Bratton Theater.
Building on the firm foundations laid by their predecessors, Vivenne Benesch and Ethan McSweeny took over as co-Artistic Directors of CTC in 2005. Their vision was to bring the company to the forefront of summer theaters, unite the twin traditions of performance and training under one Bratton roof, and invite playwrights to develop new plays at Chautauqua with their Signature Staged Readings. This vision was expanded by Andrew Borba, the company’s most recent Artistic Director, who originally joined the company in 2005. Under his artistic leadership from 2017-2022, he deepened CTC’s commitment to New Play Workshops (including the workshop of Birthday Candles, which went on to Detroit Public Theatre and ultimately transferred to Broadway). Additionally, Borba initiated CTC’s Touring Shakespeare program, going beyond the gates and bringing theater into the larger Chautauqua community.
History of Bratton Theater
Theater has existed at Chautauqua for over 100 years. Many theater companies have performed at Chautauqua over the last century, including the Jamestown Players, the Pittsburgh Players Club and the Chautauqua Players. The Cleveland Playhouse made Chautauqua Institution its summer home for over 51 years beginning in 1930. During that time, Normal Hall (as Bratton Theater was then called) served as the rehearsal hall and scene shop for the Chautauqua Opera Company. In the early 1980’s the prestigious Acting Company made Chautauqua a recurring stop on their national touring circuit. This fortuitously brought Michael Kahn to the grounds of Chautauqua, and under his leadership, the Chautauqua Conservatory Theater Company was created in 1983 and Normal Hall became a dedicated theater space.
Partnerships
Chautauqua Theater Company programs made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Leadership
Jade King Carroll, Producing Artistic Director
Jade King Carroll is the Producing Artistic Director of the Chautauqua Theater Company. She is a distinguished director specializing in new play development, with extensive collaborations with acclaimed playwrights like Dael Orlandersmith, Chisa Hutchinson, Inda Craig-Galván, Kate Hamill, Dominique Morisseau, and Sarah Gancher. She has fostered emerging writers at prestigious organizations such as the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Institute, and more. Carroll’s directorial portfolio includes new audio dramas for Audible, Marvel, Broadway Podcast Network, and GEVA Theatre Center.
Carroll’s expertise extends to directing classical and contemporary productions. She has directed over 60 productions nationwide at renowned venues including Shakespeare Theatre DC, Milwaukee Repertory, Lincoln Center Institute, Atlantic Theatre, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, the McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton University, INTAR, Playwright’s Realm, The Wild Project, Miami New Drama, Portland Stage, Weston Playhouse, Portland Playhouse, City Theatre, Marin Theatre, Primary Stages, Theatreworks, Ebony Rep Theatre, Round House Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Two River Theatre, Playmakers Rep, People’s Light & Theatre, NYC Parks Summer Stages, Perseverance Theatre, Joe’s Pub, and Chautauqua Theater Company. Notable credits include Proof of Love at New York Theatre Workshop, Autumn’s Harvest at Lincoln Center Institute, The Jumping Off Point at Round House Theatre, Seven Deadly Sins – Wrath at Miami New Drama, Detroit ‘67 and Intimate Apparel at McCarter Theatre Center, Having Our Say at Hartford Stage and Long Wharf Theatre, and Red Velvet at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Carroll has directed multiple productions of August Wilson’s work, including The Piano Lesson at the McCarter Theatre and Hartford Stage.
At Second Stage, Jade was a Van Lier and NYC Council of the Arts directing fellow and received a TCG New Generation grant in artistic directing. She is a former NYTW emerging artist fellow, an artistic apprentice at the Women’s Project Theatre, and directing and producing apprentice at the McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton University. She was a Gates Millennium scholar and recently received a 40 under 40 award from her alma mater, SUNY New Paltz. She was also the recipient of the Paul Green Award from the National Theatre Conference and the estate of August Wilson, and the 2020 Drama League Award. She was an associate director on Broadway for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, featuring Blair Underwood and Daphne Rubin-Vega, and THE GIN GAME, featuring James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson.
As an educator, Carroll has taught and guest directed at Juilliard, Princeton, New York University, the University of Iowa, Penn State, Adelphi University, the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, Point Park University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, West Virginia University, Bard College, the University of Maryland, Columbia University, and Chautauqua Theater Company.
During her tenure as Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company, she has led two seasons marked by innovative new works, including the world premieres of tiny father by Mike Lew (a co-production with Barrington Stage Company) and a commissioned piece, The Light and The Dark (the Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi) by Kate Hamill (co-produced with Primary Stages in NYC). She has also developed works by a diverse group of playwrights, including Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Chisa Hutchinson, Harrison David Rivers, Anna Ziegler, C.A. Johnson, Sharyn Rothstein, Hilary Bettis, and Kate Hamill. Under her leadership, Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) secured two NYSCA grants and partnered with the Telsey Office for casting and the Drama League to expand its directing fellows program. Additionally, she collaborated with City Theatre in Pittsburgh to build sets for CTC productions due to challenges faced in CTC facilities.
Most recently, Carroll and CTC have successfully raised $9 million for the new Roe Green Theater Center, which will house CTC offices, rehearsal spaces, a new prop shop, a green room, and a black box theater complete with a lobby and ADR bar.
Emily Glinick, General Manager
Emily Glinick has been a passionate theater maker for over two decades and holds a bachelor’s degree in theater from Bowdoin College. She began her career as a stage manager, first for regional theaters across the Northeast, then in New York City, working for off-Broadway institutions such as New York Theater Workshop, The Public and Lincoln Center Theater. Her favorite productions include the world premieres of Blood and Gifts by JT Rogers, and Lemon Andersen’s biographical, one-man show County of Kings — a world premiere produced by Spike Lee at The Public — with whom she eventually toured internationally to Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and South Africa. Emily also spent nine summer seasons stage managing for Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), for over a dozen productions and workshops. Most of her career as a stage manager has centered around new plays.
Emily took on the role of General Manager at CTC in 2022. She brought her extensive knowledge of the theater industry to the position, and the institutional knowledge of Chautauqua due to her long history with the company and having grown up visiting Chautauqua Institution during her summers as a child.
Emily was instrumental in developing the plans for the new Roe Green Theater Center, the state-of-the-art building that will eventually house new administrative offices, rehearsal studios, and a black box theater to realize CTC’s goal of becoming a national center for new plays. She has worked in partnership with CTC’s Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll to expand this new vision for the company and secure the resources necessary to achieve it.
Suzanne Fassett-Wright, Director of Arts Education
Young Playwrights Project
Suzanne serves as the Director of Arts Education at Chautauqua Institution, responsible for the development and implementation of arts education programs in the K-12 public schools. Since her arrival in 2017, over 20,000 students have participated in these programs by writing plays, drumming their hearts out, singing their lungs out and overall, sharing their unique selves through artistic expression. Suzanne also serves as the operations manager for the School of Music, combining her skill sets in education and event production to aid in envisioning compelling performance and learning experiences for pre-professional musicians who attend during the Summer Assembly.
Prior to her time at the Institution, Suzanne taught in K-12 and higher education settings as a percussionist, conductor and music historian. Trained as a classical percussionist, she was a member of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra for 20 years and also enjoyed a performing career as pit musician for musicals on drum set. She was in high demand as guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout Illinois and Indiana.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) at Chautauqua
One of Chautauqua Institution’s core shared values is “The dignity and contributions of all people.” As a values-driven organization, Chautauqua sees IDEA as firmly rooted in the mission of the Institution, and it directly correlates with the vision and objectives set forth in the organization’s 2019–2028 strategic plan, 150 Forward.
Click the link below to view Chautauqua’s 2022-2024 IDEA Plan and a full list of resources representing the institution’s collective efforts to welcome and celebrate diverse communities and individuals to our grounds and programs.
An Open Letter Regarding Chautauqua Theater Company’s Commitments to Racial and Social Justice through the lens of IDEA
December 1, 2022
To Our Communities:
Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) is dedicated to becoming a national home for exciting new plays: commissioning, developing and producing established and emerging American playwrights. We are where the finest artists of tomorrow bridge the gap between their training and the professional world. CTC is actively building the future of the American theater. In doing so, we aim to create space for culturally specific storytelling that leads to dialogue, understanding and empathy.
In 2020, CTC’s leadership responded to the rise of both racial division and racial consciousness in our nation with a letter to We See You, White American Theater, a Black Lives Matter statement and consciously programmed stories that centered Black experiences. Now, under new leadership, we are renewing our commitment to racial and social justice. Below are the actionable steps that will challenge us to continue our mission in aligning our work with our values, and Chautauqua Institution’s overarching Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Plan, which calls us to do the following:
Objective No. 1: Enhance the organizational, staff and board culture to further embody IDEA work
Objective No. 2: Engage patrons and Chautauqua Institution community partners to enhance their ability to welcome diverse populations to the grounds and beyond
Objective No. 3: Build relationships, experimental pipelines and collaborations to welcome more diverse populations to our grounds and programs
Objective No. 4: Review current policies, programs and procedures to identify barriers to IDEA and create short- and long-term plans to address them
Objective No. 5: Enhance the Institution’s year-round presence and expertise in IDEA convening authority via greater presence in the local/regional community and via collaborations with businesses, professional organizations and non-profits
As the resident theater company of Chautauqua Institution, we will put the following items into action to fulfill these objectives:
NEXT STEPS
- Through our selection of programming in our 2023 summer season and beyond, we will explore ways to transcend divisions and seek greater understanding of opposing or different viewpoints.
- While applications are open, CTC leadership will start hosting information sessions with the goal of providing transparency regarding the professional and cultural benefits and challenges of life on the grounds at Chautauqua, and within the region at large.
- We will ask our audience to grow with us by curating talks with special guests at a selection of our performances, inviting our community to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of marginalized populations — both historically and currently — on- and off-grounds.
- “Brown Bag” conversations, post-show talkbacks and panel discussions will be thoughtfully designed to allow audiences to engage in dialogue regarding IDEA issues and how they might help in creating a more inclusive and welcoming Chautauqua for all.
- We will work toward producing more accessible performances in the future, such as “relaxed” performances for those with sensory sensitivities. We will also investigate the structures and resources needed to provide live captions and audio descriptions for performances in the future.
- More resources have been directed toward our Young Playwrights Program, allowing for greater engagement with the local student population.
- We will return to offering a touring production in 2024, with the goal of engaging with the larger Chautauqua County communities.
- We will begin to support the development of new work year-round by opening our spaces during the off-season for playwright residencies.
STAFF & CONSERVATORY
- CTC will continue to cover application fees and offer housing, scholarships and travel stipends to remove systemic barriers to our competitive conservatory and fellowship program.
- To create an inclusive environment among peers, all staff, guest artists, designers and leadership will engage in our weekly company meetings and all IDEA trainings provided by the Institution and the company.
- CTC will continue to host affinity group activities during the Summer Assembly.
- We are developing procedures for our front-of-house staff, company management staff, and administrative leadership to respond quickly and effectively to exclusionary, discriminatory or harassing behavior, and especially so when targeted toward historically marginalized populations.
- IDEA goals and initiatives will be built into the evaluation structure for CTC leadership.
We also want to remind our communities of Chautauqua Institution’s Whistleblower Policy and direct you to chq.ethicspoint.com
CHANGES AT BRATTON THEATER
- Braille programs will be available upon request.
- Lighting on the walkways, stairs and porch surrounding the theater will be improved for the 2023 season.
PARTNERSHIPS
Access to the arts is of the utmost importance to us. Therefore, CTC is actively seeking to create meaningful partnerships with local non-profits, industries and businesses that employ and serve marginalized demographics. As we grow our partnerships with local organizations, please check our Partnerships page to see a full list and details of these relationships.
If you have any suggestions of organizations we should partner with, or would like to partner with us, please contact us at theater@chq.org.
We recognize that this work will be ongoing and is in partnership with all our stakeholders. As we continue to learn, we will adjust our plans. Please check back at the end of every year to see a transparent view of what we were able to accomplish and what initiatives we will need to re-examine.
Thank you for your patience and partnership as we grow together.
Jade King Carroll
Producing Artistic Director
Emily Glinick
General Manager
Makayla Santiago-Froebel
Arts Marketing Specialist