Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), has announced the commission of a new play by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Zora Howard. This commission is part of CTC’s ongoing commitment to support bold, resonant storytelling and to elevate some of today’s most compelling voices in American theater. 

Zora Howard, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her acclaimed play STEW, is known for her lyrical writing and deeply human characters. Her work, including Hang Time and the recently premiered Bust, often explores the interior lives of Black women, the complexities of familial bonds, and the enduring impact of memory and place. 

Through this commission, CTC is honored to support Howard’s creative process that will commence with an artistic residency at Chautauqua in 2025, and meaningful opportunities for engagement with the broader community.  

This play, whose title will be announced soon, is an exciting addition to CTC’s growing canon of commissioned works. It marks the fifth commission — and seventh commissioned artist — under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll. 

“Zora Howard’s work is at once poetic, piercing and honest,” shares Carroll. “She writes with unflinching truth, and everything she crafts feels alive. We are honored to support the creation of this new work and to witness the veracity and joy she continues to bring to the stage.” 

“I’ve been looking forward to this residency for a while. The opportunity to dive into new work without the distractions of the city, and with the support of the artistic community at Chautauqua, is so valuable. I cannot wait to see what the time and space inspires,” shared Howard. 

In addition to Howard’s residency, CTC is also thrilled to welcome commissioned playwrights Sharyn Rothstein and C.A. Johnson, who will be in residence at Chautauqua during the 2025 season as part of its expanded commitment to fostering vital artistic voices and dialogue. Additional information on CTC’s commissioned playwrights and plays can be found at https://www.chq.org/chautauqua-theater-company/CTC-commissions. 

Chautauqua Theater Company looks forward to sharing more details about this exciting new work in the months ahead. 

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT ZORA HOWARD    

Zora Howard is a Harlem-bred writer, director and producer. Plays include BUST (The Alliance/Goodman), STEW (2021 Pulitzer Prize Finalist; P73 Productions), THE MASTER’S TOOLS (Wiener Festwochen; Williamstown Theatre Festival), HANG TIME (The Flea), THE MOTIONS and GOOD FAITH. Her work has been developed at Ojai Playwrights Conference, Stillwright,  Mercury Store, and Cape Cod Theatre Project, among others. In 2020, her feature film Premature, which she co-wrote with director Rashaad Ernesto Green, opened in theaters following its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Zora is a Lilly Award and Helen Merrill Award recipient, a former MTC Judith Champion Fellow and Van Lier New Voices Fellow at the Lark, and alumna of P73’s I-73 Writers Group. She is currently under commission from Seattle Rep with film projects in development with Wychwood Media, A Shot of Tea and River Road Entertainment. 

ABOUT CHAUTAUQUA THEATER COMPANY   

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.  

ABOUT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION    

Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre community on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State where approximately 7,500 people are in residence on any day during a nine-week summer season. More than 100,000 attend scheduled public events each year and even more engage online via the streaming channel CHQ Assembly. Chautauqua is dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through a program that explores the important religious, social and political issues of our times; stimulates provocative, thoughtful involvement of individuals and families in creative response to such issues; and promotes excellence and creativity in the appreciation, performance and teaching of the arts.