Noises Off, Detroit ‘67, and Romeo and Juliet

(Chautauqua, NY)  Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), under the new direction of Andrew Borba, Artistic Director, and the continued leadership of Managing Director Sarah Clare Corporandy, is proud to announce mainstage programming for the 2017 summer season featuring Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, directed by Andrew Borba and running June 30 – July 16; Detroit ‘67 by Dominique Morisseau running July 21 – 30 and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III (“The Hip Hop Project”; “American Taboo”); Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet running August 11 – 18 and directed by Dawn Monique Williams (“Merry Wives of Windsor” at Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and three Signature Staged Readings of new work.

“This is a colossal season for us, we’re doing things technically and thematically we’ve never done before.” says Managing Director Sarah Clare Corporandy. “It’s also the most audience-friendly season that we’ve ever produced and we encourage those who might not have come to see one of our shows in the past, to drop in and see what we’re about.”

A Side-Splitting Comedy

Noises Off  kicks off CTC’s 34th season from June 30 – July 16. “We’ve wanted to produce Noises Off for a long while. It’s technically astonishing, unquestionably hilarious and one of the best times anyone can have in the theater.” says Artistic Director Andrew Borba.  A roller-coaster, side-splittingly funny look at theatre – both onstage and off – as a hapless troupe of actors attempt to mount a dreadful, ill-fated farce of a play, Noises Off will have you roaring with laughter as the cast’s collective sanity slowly unravels.  New York Times critic Frank Rich called it, “the funniest play written in my lifetime.”

A Moving Drama

On the 50th anniversary of the Detroit riots, CTC is honored to present Detroit ’67, set on the eve of the rebellion that ravaged the city.  Written by Dominique Morisseau, a 2016 Obie Award Winner and the 2014 recipient of the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, this moving, sharp-eyed drama filled with the iconic music of the time, explores the resilience of one family’s – and one American city’s – survival. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, this is: “A poetic play of fire-fueled dreams and frustrated love that is set against a backdrop of historic social unrest in Motown.”  Detroit ’67 runs July 21 – 30 and is directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, a multi-faceted theatre artist known for his conceived work, “The Hip Hop Project,” which he directed and choreographed.

A Rose by Any Other Name
In one of the most famous stories ever written, love is romantic, overpowering, passionate, violent, and ultimately redemptive. Relive Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, where the hot summer days of Verona create a pressure cooker in this timeless tale of young lovers caught between feuding families and swept away by the powerful nature of love.  “Romeo & Juliet is the perfect play for CTC, where the best young acting talent in the country perform.” says Borba.  “It’s a play about youth, by youth and in the hands of these young stars it promises to both entertain and break your heart.” Don’t miss CTC’s talented conservatory actors shine brightly in this masterpiece running August 11 – 18, directed by Dawn Monique Williams, a 2016 Princess Grace Foundation Award winner, an award which supports her 2017 production of “Merry Wives of Windsor” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

The New Play Workshop Signature Staged Reading Series in Repertory

Chautauqua Institution and CTC continue their commitment to new play development for the American Theater, and this year will produce three Signature Staged Readings. This series is presented as part of The New Play Workshop.  Specific projects to be announced at a later date.

TICKETS Single tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. Tickets to Noises Off, Detroit ‘67, and Romeo & Juliet are $35; tickets to The New Play Workshop Signature Staged Readings are $20. Theater ticket packages are available in Premium for $175, 5-packs for $135, and 3-packs for $81. For more information visit www.ctcompany.org.

• June (specific dates TBA): The New Play Workshop Signature Staged Reading 1
• June 30 – July 16: Noises Off by Michael Frayn, directed by Andrew Borba
• July 21 – July 30: Detroit ‘67 by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
  August 11 – August 18: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, directed by Dawn Monique Williams
• August 1, 3, 4: The New Play Workshop Signature Staged Reading 2
• August 2, 4, 5: The New Play Workshop Signature Staged Reading 3

The Chautauqua Theater Company is entering its 34th Season, Chautauqua Theater Company is the resident professional theater and Conservatory of the Chautauqua Institution. Internationally known actors, directors, designers, and writers join 20 emerging artists drawn from the nation’s top training programs to form a unique company that produces a vibrant summer of work in the historic Bratton Theater. Dedicated to the next generation of theater artists, the development of new work, first-rate productions of modern and contemporary classics, and fresh insight into Shakespeare’s canon, CTC produces the best of a year-round regional theater within an eight-week summer season.

The Chautauqua Institution is the pre-eminent expression of lifelong learning in the United States, Chautauqua Institution is a 141-year-old community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities.

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