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 14 of 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.

Now, the future that Michael Kahn once envisioned is here. Building on the firm foundations laid by their predecessors, our leadership team is poised to bring CTC to the forefront of summer theaters in this country and unite the twin traditions of performance and training under one Bratton roof.