Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), the resident theater company of Chautauqua Institution, today announced their commission and development of a musical adaptation of The Crossover, the critically acclaimed novel by New York Times best-selling author and Chautauqua Institution’s Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts and writer-in-residence Kwame Alexander. 

Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll, CTC is cementing its reputation as a national home for exciting new works. Carroll’s tenure has brought a renewed focus on commissioning, developing and producing works from new and established American playwrights. This commitment to fostering innovative storytelling is exemplified with recent commissions such as Kate Hamill’s The Light and The Dark, C.A. Johnson’s Tell Me You’re Dying, and now the musical adaptation of Alexander’s The Crossover, highlighting CTC’s pivotal role in championing groundbreaking writers and shaping the landscape of American theater.  

“Chautauqua is the perfect place for an extraordinary partnership like this to flourish. I have been delighted to see the remarkable synergy between luminary Alexander and CTC,” shared Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Deborah Sunya Moore. “We are deeply honored to be a home for the creation of new works by contemporary visionaries like Kwame. Jade’s bold vision for CTC is coming to life, and this new commission is a testament to her leadership, driving the company forward with powerful stories that resonate.” 

“It was clear after our first meeting that we hold a shared understanding and joy for storytelling,” said Carroll of her burgeoning collaboration with Alexander. “We both feel that there is no other place to develop this novel into a new musical than the Chautauqua Theater Company. The unique environment that Chautauqua Institution provides cannot be replicated.”  

The Crossover is a captivating coming-of-age story about basketball, brotherhood, and life on and off the court. Written in dynamic verse, the novel follows the lives of 12-year-old twins Josh and Jordan Bell, both skilled athletes whose world changes as they navigate adolescence, family relationships, and their love for the game. This novel, which continues to inspire readers with its powerful storytelling and lyrical poetry, celebrated its tenth anniversary during the 2024 season. Join us as we continue to celebrate its unique format and emotional depth that has earned it widespread acclaim, including the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award. In 2023, the novel was adapted into a Disney+ series, with Alexander himself serving as an executive producer alongside NBA icon LeBron James.  

Alexander is a celebrated poet, educator, Emmy-winning producer (The Crossover), and #1 New York Times best-selling author of 41 books, including his latest release Black Star, the second in his Door of No Return trilogy. His impressive works include Becoming Muhammad Ali (co-authored with James Patterson); Rebound, which was shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious Carnegie Medal; and The Undefeated, a National Book Award nominee and winner of the Newbery Honor and Caldecott Medal. As the founder of Big Sea Entertainment, Alexander is committed to producing innovative, highly original children’s and family content, with projects like “America’s Next Great Author,” a groundbreaking reality TV series for writers, in development. A regular contributor to NPR’s “Morning Edition,” he is also the creator and host of the “Why Fathers Cry” podcast, which launched in September 2023, offering heartfelt conversations about love, parenting and loss. Alexander shares his passion for literacy and the craft of writing at global events such as the Edinburgh Book Festival, Aspen Ideas, and the Global Literacy Symposium in Ghana, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. His mission is to change the world, one word at a time. 

This musical adaptation will be developed, workshopped and premiered at Chautauqua. CTC looks forward to bringing Alexander’s vision to the stage and furthering its commitment to fostering new works that inspire and engage its audiences. 

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), C.A. Johnson, and Sharyn Rothstein, and developing new works by Chisa Hutchinson, Mike Lew (tiny father, 2023 CTC World Premiere), Harrison David Rivers, Hilary Bettis, and more. CTC further deepens its commitment to new play development with the Roe Green Theater Center, construction beginning in late 2024. 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 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. The Institution will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2024.