Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) today announced its dynamic 2026 mainstage season, featuring two standout productions: the world premiere of Best for Baby, a larger-than-life comedy by Sharyn Rothstein directed by Oliver Butler, and August Wilson’s acclaimed theatrical memoir How I Learned What I Learned, directed by CTC’s Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll. The season will also mark the grand opening of the Roe Green Theater Center, a state-of-the-art home for theater at Chautauqua, and the introduction of CTC’s new playwrighting fellowship in partnership with the Drama League. 

Best for Baby is a CTC commission and was presented as a New Play Workshop in the 2025 season, culminating in a sold-out final presentation. Its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to you by a sensational comedic ensemble of professional guest artists — led by Broadway actors George Abud and Crystal Dickinson — alongside members of CTC’s beloved conservatory. Performances will run from July 8–Aug. 2, 2026. 

Rothstein is an award-winning playwright and television writer. Her plays have been produced at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena Stage, McCarter Theatre Center, Round House Theatre and Ensemble Studio Theater, among many others. Rothstein is currently a writer and co-executive producer on CBS’s new show “Einstein.” She has also written for “Suits LA,” the spin-off of the hit legal drama “Suits,” for which she wrote and produced for five seasons. Rothstein was a writer and co-executive producer on AMC’s “Orphan Black: Echoes,” and has developed shows for Apple TV, AMC and Bravo.  

Butler is a Tony-nominated and award-winning director whose work includes the critically acclaimed Broadway premiere of Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me (Best Play Tony Award nomination, Obie Award winner, Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Drama League Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, Drama Desk Award nomination; finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama). He has directed many productions Off-Broadway at institutions such as New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre Company, Vineyard Theatre, Theatre for a New Audience and Playwrights Horizons, and regionally at Yale Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival and The Geffen Playhouse, and others. He is also a co-founder and co-artistic director of The Debate Society, with whom he has directed 10 premieres over 15 years. 

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to premiere this play at Chautauqua, which has provided endless support and a top-notch artistic team to help me bring this wild satirical comedy to the stage,” said Rothstein. ”While workshopping the play last season at Chautauqua, our incredible cast provided a masterclass in comic genius, deeply felt drama and pure energy. The Chautauqua audience, who never shies away from challenging questions and artistic exploration, is the perfect audience for this timely, hilarious and provocative new show.” 

CTC is also honored to present August Wilson’s celebrated classic solo piece, How I Learned What I Learned, to be directed by CTC Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll. Performances will run from Aug. 7–16, 2026. This autobiographical tour de force follows Wilson’s journey through the streets of Pittsburgh’s Hill District — through odd jobs, heartbreaks and artistic awakenings — capturing the moments that forged his identity. From the mischief and hustle of his early days to the love affair that almost got him killed, Wilson weaves his youth into a series of deliciously compelling stories. With his trademark wit, lyricism, and truth-telling, he invites audiences into the dynamic world that shaped both the man and the master storyteller he became.  

Wilson is one of the most celebrated playwrights in history, whose unprecedented American Century Cycle of 10 plays, each set in a different decade, chronicle the African-American experience in the 20th century. They have all been produced on Broadway; two have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Fences, 1987, and The Piano Lesson, 1990), and three were developed into major motion pictures, garnering numerous awards and honors.  

Carroll has touched Wilson’s entire body of work, collaborating with such luminaries as Phylicia Rashad, John Amos, Chadwick Boseman, Taraji P. Henson and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, among others. She has directed many of Wilson’s productions, including Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Portland Stage), King Hedley II (Portland Playhouse), Radio Golf (Penn State), Seven Guitars (People’s Light) and a co-production of The Piano Lesson with McCarter Theatre Center and Hartford Stage. She served as dramaturg for the seminal recording of all 10 plays of Wilson’s American Century Cycle, produced by WNYC/New York Public Radio, and her dramaturgical work from this project is now archived in libraries across the nation. She received the Paul Green Award from the estate of August Wilson and the National Theatre Conference. 

Next summer marks a thrilling new chapter for CTC with the opening of the Roe Green Theater Center — CTC’s first permanent home designed specifically for the creation of theater at Chautauqua. A ribbon-cutting celebration will take place on Sunday, June 28, the opening day of the 2026 Summer Assembly, in the new black box theater. After years of working across borrowed spaces, CTC’s artists and staff will have a true home base — rehearsal studios, performance spaces, and offices united in one purpose-built facility. Fostering collaboration and community, the Roe Green Theater Center will launch a transformative new era for theater-making at Chautauqua. Its state-of-the-art black box venue will complement the beloved Bratton Theater, further solidifying CTC’s status as one of the nation’s premier accelerators of theater talent. Designed for accessibility, the building will also feature a bar and outdoor patios, offering a welcoming gathering space for audiences and artists alike to linger over a drink and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Chautauqua’s newest venue.  

CTC will also welcome playwriting fellows for the first time as part of an expanding program in partnership with the Drama League. These emerging writers will develop and present new plays in collaboration with the Future Now directing fellows, featuring the work of CTC’s acting conservatory and design fellows. These designed staged readings — created entirely by the next generation of theater artists — will be among the inaugural performances in the Roe Green Theater Center, igniting the kind of creativity and opportunity that Chautauqua Institution is built to cultivate and inspire. 

“How exciting to produce a season where we get to premiere a large, laugh-out-loud comedy and pair it with an intimate play by one of America’s great classic playwrights,” said Carroll. “It is a season that spans generations of the American experience. And, how incredibly thrilling to be opening the new Roe Green Theater Center this summer with the expansion of our fellowship program, late night comedic offerings, a new second venue, and a gathering space complete with a bar.” 

CTC will announce its 2026 mainstage creative teams, New Play Workshops and other special events in the coming months. Visit tickets.chq.org for tickets, on sale Feb. 18, 2026. 

ABOUT CHAUTAUQUA THEATER COMPANY 

Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) stands at the forefront of American theater, playing a pivotal role in shaping its future. While the Chautauqua community has embraced theater for over a century, CTC was officially founded in 1983 by Artistic Director Michael Kahn at Chautauqua Institution. 

For more than 40 years, CTC has been a vital launchpad for the next generation of theater artists, bridging the gap between training and professional success. CTC champions new voices in theater, serving as a national hub for commissioning, developing, and producing works by both established and emerging American playwrights. One of its major achievements includes Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles, which was originally developed at CTC and later had a celebrated run on Broadway. 

CTC has entered a new era of artistic excellence under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll, commissioning plays by Kate Hamill (The Light and The Dark, 2024 CTC World Premiere and NYC transfer to Primary Stages), C.A. Johnson (The Witnesses, 2025 CTC World Premiere), Sharyn Rothstein, Zora Howard, Kwame Alexander, Christopher Jackson and Candrice Jones, and developing new works by Chisa Hutchinson, Mike Lew (tiny father, 2023 CTC World Premiere, co-production with Barrington Stage), Harrison David Rivers, Hilary Bettis, and more. 

CTC further deepens its commitment to new play development with the Roe Green Theater Center, set to open in June 2026. The state-of-the-art black box theater and flexible rehearsal spaces will complement the beloved Bratton Theater and solidify CTC’s status as one of the nation’s premier accelerators of theater talent and new work. 

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 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of more than 100,000 attend scheduled public events and even more people engage with streaming programs online. 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. The Institution celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2024. 

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