2022
Flowers of Hawaii
By Lee Cataluna
June 22-24
“We understand what it’s like to raise kids who turn out nothing like we intended.”
This extended Hawaii family has a wealth of personalities including sexy grandmothers, delinquent grandkids, gender-fluid cousins, abusive wives, addict uncles, and more. They clash, they break, they mend, they eat, and they love each other. Lee Cataluna dishes up a unique play filled with heartbreak and humor and a dash of authentic Hawaiiana.
Through the Eyes of Holly Germaine
By Y York
July 20-22
“Marty said when I help the birds it will change people’s impression of my shallowness.”
On the Canary Islands in the spring of 1986, an oil spill changes everything. In this enticing new eco-drama by Y York, a rising movie star’s vacation becomes an environmental rescue mission, a long-lost love triangle re-emerges as a quadrangle, and buried family secrets are washed ashore for all to see. Romantic, funny, and deadly serious, the truth will emerge Through the Eyes of Holly Germaine.
Black Like Me, adapted from the memoir by John Howard Griffin
By Monty Cole
July 23-24
“Like shipwrecked people, we huddled together in a warmth and courtesy that was equal parts pure and pathetic.”
In 1961, white journalist John Howard Griffin medically darkened his skin to “pass” as Black. With the goal of investigating race, Griffin traveled the segregated South for three weeks and published his experiences in a series of journal entries. Black Like Me revisits Griffin’s memoir through the response of modern-day characters. This innovative noir docu-drama examines the fine line between allyship and appropriation and asks how we can transform into the people we truly want to be.
2021
Rebecca Oxaca Lays Down A Bunt
By Kristoffer Diaz
August 18
In this modern day five-door farce, the overarching theme is to find, express, and celebrate your true calling in life. The action takes place in a renovated hotel, The Hotelman Arms, in Chicago, where the motto is, “No privacy is the new privacy.” The cast features a wide range of idiosyncratic roles including the title bunter who just wants to have fun, a mystery writer working on her next bestseller, a blogger trying to capture the next big thing, various members of the hotel staff who are either trying to hide or make love to the guests, and baseball executives that are vying to sign Rebecca to a major league deal. The pace is fast and furious.
Tailbone
By Juliette Carrillo
August 16
Tailbone follows a woman named Anabelle who is determined to take her next relationship in baby steps, but when her new beau gets flooded out of his apartment, she’s quick to suggest he stay with her.
2019
How the Light Gets In
By E. M. Lewis
Directed by Emilie Beck
July 18–20
While grappling with her recent cancer diagnosis, a travel writer meets a frustrated Japanese architect, a homeless girl who lives under a weeping willow tree, and a tattoo artist who doesn’t want to use his gift. How the Light Gets Inis a poetic and quirky romantic comedy about four lonely people who find each other when one of them falls apart.
On the Exhale
By Martín Zimmerman
Directed by Patrick Walsh (CTC Directing Fellow alum)
An Actor/Director Workshop
August 14–18
When the tragedy of mass shootings hits home, one mother finds herself inexplicably drawn to the weapon that changed her life forever. On the Exhale is a powerful solo performance featuring CTC alumna Claire Karpen, directed by CTC alumnus Patrick Walsh.
Agent 355
Music, Lyrics and Book by Preston Max Allen
Book and Dramaturgy by Jessica Kahkoska
Directed by Estefanía Fadul
August 15–18
True story: during the Revolutionary War, an unidentified female spy helped George Washington and his army to victory. Today, a contemporary all-female band is determined to figure out who she was. In the New Play Workshop’s first musical, Agent 355 explores the loyalty, heritage, and courage of six real Revolutionary women whose stories, sacrifices, and secrets shaped the nation.
2018
UNTITLED RUSSIA PLAY
by Lauren Yee | July 30-August 1
Two young Russian men try to find their way after the fall of communism. An absurd comedy about art, love and advertising in the dawn of capitalism.
JUMP
by Charly Evon Simpson | August 2-4
After a death in the family, Fay finds unexpected solace on a bridge. A poetic drama about family, loss and the kindness of strangers.
THE AMISH PROJECT
by Jessica Dickey | August 19-21
A fictional investigation of the real life Nickel Mines school shooting, this riveting one-woman show explores the Amish community’s concept of radical forgiveness. Performed by CTC Conservatory alumna Kathryn Metzger, The Amish Project portrays two communities shattered by a mass shooting, and the journey to healing.
2017
DAN CODY’S YACHT
by Anthony Giardina | June 9-10
Chautauqua Theater Company is pleased to announce an unorthodox addition to its 2017 repertoire — on June 9 and 10, the company welcomes playwright Anthony Giardina and director Doug Hughes to Bratton Theater for a “New Play Workshop: Pre-season” staged reading of Dan Cody’s Yacht. Its stop at Chautauqua represents a significant step for CTC and Chautauqua toward the long-term goal of more off-season offerings.
BIRTHDAY CANDLES
by Noah Haidle | Aug. 1-4
Birthday Candles follows Ernestine Ashworth on a magical 100-year journey from her 17th birthday through her 117th. This quirky and clever play invites us into questions of identity, family and legacy. Birthday Candles was commissioned by Detroit Public Theatre and will premiere there this fall.
BUILDING THE WALL
by Robert Schenkkan | Aug. 2-5
Written by the Pulitzer and Tony winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, Building The Wall is a tense, immediate drama that brings a human element to what could happen when inflamatory rhetoric transforms into policy. Not to be missed!
2016
TINY HOUSES
by Chelsea Marcantel | July 14-16, 2016
Bohdi is a hypnotherapist. Jevne is a YouTube artist. Ollie sells haunted dolls online. Cath just left her job to move to Oregon with her boyfriend. And they are all building a house together in the back yard. In a world where bigger is always better, can tiny really be happy? Or is this a recipe for disaster? A comedy about what happens when the world shrinks.
THE GLOW OVERHEAD
by Nick Gandiello | August 3-5, 2016
Maryanne and Allan Dempsey’s son disappeared in a deep cave dive many years ago and now a young and ambitious diver wants to retrieve his remains at great personal risk. This achingly beautiful play investigates the depth of loss when we unexpectedly lose someone we love and what might arise after they are gone.
2015
THE ENGINE OF OUR RUIN
by Jason Wells | July 17-18, 2015
A routine trade agreement nearly escalates into a declaration of war when a team of American diplomats meets with delegates from an unnamed Arab nation and diplomacy is –literally–lost in translation. A mischievously sharp-tongued comedy of misinformation and misunderstanding.
AFTERLOVE
by David West Read | August 5-7, 2015
A troubled young doctor, struggling with the loss of a patient, finds unexpected tenderness when he’s visited by an enchanting female ghost. A funny and poignant look at the afterlife of love.
2014
DAIRYLAND
by Heidi Armbruster | July 10-12, 2014
Allie, a food writer in NYC, is determined to find authenticity in a world of internet dating, baby shower crafting, and journalistic in-fighting. But when she takes on the local food movement she finds herself on the wrong side of an epic food fight. Allie escapes the city for her father’s dairy farm. Will a dairy cow named Patches leave Allie with a taste of the authenticity she craves?
THE GUADALUPE
by Carol Carpenter | July 31–August 2, 2014
On the first night of the annual harvest, the Northrip-Valle family farm becomes the target of a cartel territory war. But why? As gunmen surround the farmhouse in the dark hours of night, secrets unravel and politics collide as the family strategizes their escape.
2013
DARK RADIO
by Colin McKenna
Something is wrong in Ron’s suburban neighborhood, but he’s the only person in the family who seems to notice. Streets are deserted and cell phones are dead. The only communication Ron is receiving is from a single radio station, buried deep in the AM dial.
TRANSIT
by Kait Kerrigan
A small-town newscaster seizes her opportunity for a big break when an unidentified Muslim woman jumps in front of a commuter train on the one-year anniversary of a major terrorist attack. Delving into the haunted life of the train’s conductor, his ailing mother and his hapless colleague, Transit explores the power of faith in the face of fear – and of fear in the face of faith.