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July 1, 2015 | ,

Chautauqua Theater Company Launches Season with Our Town

Thornton Wilder’s American Classic Complements July 4 Celebrations (Chautauqua, NY) Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch and Managing Director Sarah Clare Corporandy, presents Thornton Wilder’s Our Town from July 3 through July 12 on the Bratton Stage. Directed by Paul Mullins (CTC’s You Can’t Take It With You), the cast is lead by Broadway’s Manu Narayan (Bombay Dreams) as the Stage Manager. Conservatory Actors Audrey Corsa (The Juilliard School) and Myles Bullock (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill) make their Chautauqua Theater Company debuts as Emily Webb and George Gibbs. Michael Potts (television’s “True Detective”...

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June 24, 2015 | ,

Chautauqua Theater Company announces Principal Casting for Season, The Engine of Our Ruin by Jason Wells and Afterlove by David West Read selected for The New Play Workshop Signature Staged Readings

(Chautauqua, NY) Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch and Managing Director Sarah Clare Corporandy, announced casting for their Mainstage 2015 Season, which includes blending Chautauqua Theater Company alumni with those making their company debuts. Principal actors are Andrew Borba, Carol Halstead, Tangela Large, Manu Narayan, Michael Potts, Shelia Tousey, and Kathryn Hunter Williams. The season features Our Town (July 3-12), Intimate Apparel (July 24-August 2), and Henry V (August 14-21), all performed at the Bratton Theater at Chautauqua Institution. In addition to the Mainstage productions, Chautauqua Theater Company will produce The Engine of Our...

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May 29, 2015 |

Eric Einhorn, Steven Osgood named as finalists for Chautauqua Opera artistic and general director post

Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce Eric Einhorn and Steven Osgood as the final candidates for the position of artistic and general director of Chautauqua Opera. The new artistic and general director will take over following the conclusion of the 2015 season. Jay Lesenger, who has held the post since 1994, will step down at the end of the calendar year. Deborah Sunya Moore, incoming vice president for the performing and visual arts at CHQ, conducted a nationwide search with the assistance of a search committee consisting of eight members from the CHQ community and board of trustees. After a deep...

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May 29, 2015 |

Eric Einhorn, Steven Osgood named as finalists for Chautauqua Opera artistic and general director post

Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce Eric Einhorn and Steven Osgood as the final candidates for the position of artistic and general director of Chautauqua Opera. The new artistic and general director will take over following the conclusion of the 2015 season. Jay Lesenger, who has held the post since 1994, will step down at the end of the calendar year.
 
 Deborah Sunya Moore, incoming vice president for the performing and visual arts at CHQ, conducted a nationwide search with the assistance of a search committee consisting of eight members from the CHQ community and board of trustees. After a...

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May 20, 2015 |

Phil Klay’s Redeployment wins 2015 Chautauqua Prize

Chautauqua Institution is delighted to announce Redeployment (The Penguin Press) by Phil Klay as the 2015 winner of The Chautauqua Prize. As author of the winning book, Klay receives $7,500 and all travel and expenses for himself and his wife for a one-week summer residency at CHQ. He will host a public reading and a book signing on Saturday, July 25, at the Hall of Philosophy. While his Week Four residency will be the first time Klay visits CHQ, he said he has fond memories of childhood trips to Lakeside Chautauqua, an Ohio community that is part of the Chautauqua...

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April 17, 2015 |

Eight finalists named for 2015 Chautauqua Prize

Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce eight exceptional books as the 2015 finalists for The Chautauqua Prize: The Map Thief, by Michael Blanding (Gotham/Avery) Byrd, by Kim Church (Dzanc Books) The Bully of Order, by Brian Hart (HarperCollins) Euphoria, by Lily King (Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly) Redeployment, by Phil Klay (The Penguin Press) All Eyes Are Upon Us, by Jason Sokol (Basic Books) The Scatter Here is Too Great, by Bilal Tanweer (Harper) The Witch, by Jean Thompson (Blue Rider Press) The winning book will be selected from this shortlist and announced in mid-May. In The Map Thief, readers are taken into the high-stakes work of map dealing, a history of...

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April 9, 2015 |

Jay Lesenger’s letter to the Chautauqua Community

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Family, After 21 years as General and Artistic Director, I have decided to make the 2015 season my last one with the Chautauqua Opera Company. This decision comes with mixed emotions. The CHQ community has been my second home and the opera company has been the focus of my creative and personal life for more than half my professional career so far. But the timing is right for me to turn my attention from administration to devoting more of my time to directing and teaching and to spending more time with my partner, family and friends....

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April 9, 2015 |

Chautauqua Opera General/Artistic Director Jay Lesenger to step down following 2015 season

Chautauqua Institution today announced that Jay Lesenger, general/artistic director of Chautauqua Opera Company, will step down from his post at the end of 2015. Lesenger has led Chautauqua Institution’s resident opera company, the nation’s oldest continuously producing summer company — and fourth oldest American opera company overall — since October 1994. “When Jay arrived here, he faced the daunting task of reinvigorating the passion in and for opera at CHQ,” said Marty Merkley, vice president and director of programming. “Jay’s artistry, passion and personal charisma helped to bring about a renaissance with vibrant productions, exciting artists, diverse repertoire and quality production values. His dedication...

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April 2, 2015 |

Chautauqua Opera General/Artistic Director Jay Lesenger to step down following 2015 season

Chautauqua Institution today announced that Jay Lesenger, general/artistic director of Chautauqua Opera Company, will step down from his post at the end of 2015. Lesenger has led Chautauqua Institution’s resident opera company, the nation’s oldest continuously producing summer company — and fourth oldest American opera company overall — since October 1994. “When Jay arrived here, he faced the daunting task of reinvigorating the passion in and for opera at CHQ,” said Marty Merkley, vice president and director of programming. “Jay’s artistry, passion and personal charisma helped to bring about a renaissance with vibrant productions, exciting artists, diverse repertoire and quality production values. His dedication...

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February 12, 2015 |

Deborah Sunya Moore named to lead Chautauqua Institution’s artistic programming

Chautauqua Institution today announced the appointment of Deborah Sunya Moore as vice president responsible for all arts programming at CHQ, effective Oct. 1, 2015. Moore succeeds Marty W. Merkley, who announced earlier this month that he will retire following the 2015 season, his 25th at CHQ. “I am excited about the development of our arts programming at CHQ under Deborah’s leadership,” said Tom Becker, president of Chautauqua Institution. “She understands at a very high level the intersection between art and education. I believe that she will embrace this challenge in a way that is at once creative and expressive of...

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