New Jamestown Riverwalk Location and Additional CHQ Dates

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Andrew Borba and Managing Director Sarah Clare Corporandy, is pleased to continue their traveling Shakespeare for the second year in a row. This summer CTC will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare, adapted by Jeff Witty of Avenue Q fame, and Directed by Sarah Elizabeth Wansley.  

CTC’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream re-imagines Shakespeare’s beloved comedy through a contemporary lens. Featuring intricate folk-harmonies from a fairy trio, physical comedy and gentle audience interaction, this 90 minute version of Midsummer is bursting with youthful energy and explores the courage it takes to make change in your community.

“Midsummer is a story about a community that is undergoing difficult change and learning how to laugh together again,” says Director, Sarah Elizabeth Wansley. “Performing this play outside in naturally beautiful venues across Chautauqua County and with the extraordinary talents of CTC’s conservatory actors, I hope that our communities have a chance to take a break from the pressures of modern life and spend an evening celebrating the power of music, laughter and love.”

“We are honored to be partnering with Oregon Shakespeare Festival and ‘Play on! 36 Playwrights translate Shakespeare’ to bring Chautauqua County Jeff Whitty’s adaptation” says Andrew Borba, Artistic Director. “Shakespeare’s themes are timeless, and this adaptation is the perfect mix of original Shakespeare language and modern colloquialisms.”  

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed by twelve actors from the 2019 CTC Conservatory. Information and a calendar are below.

Show Info: Shakespeare is FREE. We encourage patrons to bring blankets, chairs and a picnic. For the performances at the Chautauqua Institution guests will need to purchase a gate pass. Afternoon gate passes can be purchased for $15

Calendar:

June 25, 4 p.m. • Bestor Plaza, Chautauqua Institution

June 26, 7 p.m. • Allen Park, Jamestown

July 4, 4 p.m. • Bestor Plaza, Chautauqua Institution

July 10, 6:30 p.m. • Lakeside Park, Mayville

July 13, 6:30 p.m. • RiverWalk, Jamestown

July 17, 6:30 p.m. • Southern Tier Brewing Company

July 20, 6 p.m. • Bestor Plaza, Chautauqua Institution

July 31, 6:30 p.m. • Southern Tier Brewing Company

About Chautauqua Theater Company
Entering its 37th season, Chautauqua Theater Company is the resident professional theater and Conservatory of Chautauqua Institution. Internationally known actors, directors, designers and writers join 19 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.

About Chautauqua Institution
The pre-eminent expression of lifelong learning in the United States, Chautauqua Institution comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 100,000 people visit Chautauqua and participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages — all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through civil dialogue.