Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), the professional theater company of Chautauqua Institution, is proud to announce its 2025 New Play Workshops — a celebrated series that continues CTC’s tradition of championing bold, original voices and advancing the future of American theater. 

This season, CTC will present three new works at varying stages of development, offering audiences a unique opportunity to engage with new plays in real time. The 2025 New Play Workshop (NPW) lineup features Pranayama by James Anthony Tyler, All the Little Boxes by Vichet Chum, and CTC’s commission Best for Baby by Sharyn Rothstein. These workshops and readings are made possible in part by a generous grant from the Roe Green Foundation, whose visionary support is also propelling the creation of the new Roe Green Theater Center at Chautauqua Institution, opening in 2026. 

“As a company dedicated to the full life cycle of a play, we’re excited to invite audiences back to the theater this summer to engage with these new works,” said Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll. “This season marks the 20th anniversary of CTC’s New Play Workshops. It’s an honor to grow on this tradition and continue to uplift such extraordinary playwrights. What a joy and a privilege to foster these innovative works alongside our incredible artists and community.” 

Pranayama  

By James Anthony Tyler 
Directed by Jade King Carroll 
June 27–29 • $20 

Breathe in. The 6 a.m. class at Harlem Bikram is for the regulars — a group as diverse as the neighborhood itself. As heat builds in the yoga studio, so do the tensions in their personal lives…awkward crushes, new friendships, silent struggles, shared grief, make-ups and break-ups. With humor and heart, James Anthony Tyler’s Pranayama captures the breath of a community trying to heal, connect and transform by showing up for themselves and for each other. Join the regulars. Breathe out. 

All the Little Boxes 

By Vichet Chum 
Directed by Mei Ann Teo 
August 1–3 • $30 

That was a terrible interview…but somehow Chan landed the job. A rookie in the professional home organizing business, Chan finds an unexpected way to care for the strangers around him as they seek to flip the script on their lives. He organizes their closets and unpacks their skeletons, but all the decluttering in the world won’t relieve Chan of his own baggage. Playwright and novelist Vichet Chum unpacks identity, loneliness, and the stories of our belongings in this moving and surprisingly hilarious new play for the Marie Kondo inside us all. 

Best for Baby (a CTC Commission) 

By Sharyn Rothstein 
Directed by Oliver Butler 
August 15-17 • $20 

A delivery room nurse helps a new mother find her footing as she learns to care for her newborn baby. A few months later she returns to work at Johnson & Johnson — America’s most trusted brand — and the maker of the talc powder she lovingly uses on her own little girl. But can she trust it? Best for Baby portrays corporate personhood with in-your-face theatrical absurdity and blistering wit, unflinchingly examining the cost of valuing profits over people. 

Best for Baby is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. 

This summer CTC is also excited to welcome commissioned playwright Zora Howard who will be in her first residency at Chautauqua, marking the start of a three-year commitment to her new project. 

With a season that balances daring new workshops and powerful mainstage productions, CTC continues to solidify its place as a vital incubator for the future of American theater. From thought-provoking premieres to transformative reimaginings of contemporary classics, CTC invites audiences to experience bold storytelling, celebrate artistic collaboration, and be part of the creative journey from page to stage. 

Tickets for Chautauqua Theater Company’s 2025 season are on sale now at tickets.chq.org. Patrons may purchase a Six Pack, three mainstage productions and three New Play Workshops, by June 5 and save 15% on all tickets. 

In keeping with its commitment to access and inclusion, CTC will again offer the Pick Your Price program for select Saturday mainstage performances. This initiative empowers audience members to choose a ticket price that aligns with their budget —whether that means paying less or contributing more in support of the theater. Learn more at chq.org/chautauqua-theater-company/your-visit. 

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, Sharyn Rothstein, and Zora Howard, 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, with construction that began 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 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. 

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