Chautauqua Institution

Sold out: From Delta Roots to Symphonic Heights: Inside Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience
2025-08-19 10:45 (America/New_York) | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Experience the magic behind the music with an exclusive conversation featuring the visionary minds and passionate artists who brought the soul-stirring Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience to life. Explore the creative process with the owners of the nation’s number one blues club, Ground Zero Blues Club, the music director and conductor of this extraordinary concert series, and celebrated Delta Blues musicians. Gain unique insights into the inspirations that moved Morgan Freeman and others to shape this remarkable concept. This special session offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the artistry, collaboration, and deep musical roots driving the Symphonic Blues Experience, setting the stage for its highly anticipated performance with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra on the evening of August 19 in the Amphitheater.

Service of Blessing and Healing
2025-08-19 10:15, 2025-08-18 10:15 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Chautauqua Science Group: Allison Hrycik, Ph.D., Research Scientist Darrin Freshwater Institute and The Jefferson Project
2025-08-19 09:15 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

Brian McLaren
2025-08-19 09:15, 2025-08-18 09:15, 2025-08-17 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.
Brian is Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation. and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are Faith After Doubt (January 2021), Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022), and Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart (2024). His co-authored children’s book Cory and the Seventh Story was released in 2023. The first book of a new science fiction trilogy, The Last Voyage, will be published in summer, 2025. He is an Auburn Senior Fellow, a contributor to We Stand With Love, and a leader in the Convergence Network, through which he is developing an innovative training/mentoring program for pastors and church planters.
He is an active and popular blogger, a musician, and a songwriter, offering a variety of resources through his website, www.brianmclaren.net.

Chautauqua Prays for Peace though Compassion
2025-08-19 08:55, 2025-08-18 08:55 | Hall of Philosophy Grove

Catholic Mass
2025-08-19 08:45, 2025-08-18 08:45 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

Daily Word Meditation
2025-08-19 08:00, 2025-08-18 08:00 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions
(Programmed by Unity of Chautauqua)

Episcopal Holy Eucharist
2025-08-19 07:45, 2025-08-18 07:45, 2025-08-17 09:00 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

CHQ Mystic Heart: Sharon Wesoky
2025-08-19 07:45, 2025-08-18 07:45 | Presbyterian Chapel
Mahanaya Buddhism-Mindfulness Meditation

F1: THE MOVIE
2025-08-18 20:45, 2025-08-17 17:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was Formula1’s most promising driver of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) convinces Sonny to come back for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. “This movie is entirely about the driving, and the speed.” -Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times “It’s a plot as old as the horseless carriage, but in F1 it’s fuel-injected by an exceptionally appealing cast.” -Ann Hornaday, Washington Post “Exactly what summer blockbusters are supposed to be, exciting, romantic, funny, glamorous, and purely entertaining.” -Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com (PG-13, 155m)

Pilobolus: Other Worlds Collection
2025-08-18 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Pilobolus’s Other Worlds Collection traverses the spaces we inhabit—from the realms within ourselves, society, and the universe—with wit, wisdom, and whimsy.
This collection features collaborations with visionaries who see the world through the lens of theatre, music, and dance, including award-winning playwright and director Aaron Posner, multi-instrumentalist and composer Stuart Bogie, choreographer and former Pilobolus dancer Gaspard Louis, original Pilobolus member Lee Harris, and composer Paul Sullivan.
Let Pilobolus take you on a journey through the multitudes of the human condition, seamlessly fusing sensuality, humor, and extraordinary physical prowess into a performance that will leave you spellbound.

Taize' and Tea Meditation Worship
2025-08-18 19:00 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

THE LIFE OF CHUCK
2025-08-18 18:00, 2025-08-17 20:30, 2025-08-17 14:15 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
From childhood to adulthood, Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained within all of us in director Mike Flanagan’s life-affirming, genre-bending film. “Feels like the coziest of blankets enveloping you in the theater. However, you should expect a few jolts of static…this touching, beautiful film is based on a novella by Stephen King.” -Odie Henderson, Boston Globe “A story of profound humanity, ultimately spirit-expanding.” -Nell Minow, Movie Mom (R, 110m)

Play CHQ: Art and Nature Meet
2025-08-18 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park
Play CHQ invites families to discover, create, and play together all season long! Enjoy a variety of engaging activities including games, crafts, STEM experiments, and more at pop-up locations throughout the Chautauqua grounds.
In case of inclement weather, all Play CHQ events will be relocated to Sheldon Hall of Education, Room 202.

CHQ @ 150 - ALL RISE
2025-08-18 16:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Celebrate the sesquicentennial of our iconic institution, while exploring the ever-evolving definition of democracy through powerful stories and performances that have unfolded here, with a stirring performance of Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise and appearances by Kathryn Hahn, Kwame Alexander, Misty Copeland and more. (NR, 55m)

Chautauqua Chamber Music: Parker Quartet
2025-08-18 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Internationally recognized for their “fearless, yet probingly beautiful” (The Strad) performances, the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation, dedicated purely to the sound and depth of their music. They are renowned for their fresh and unique approach to the great classics while being passionate ambassadors for music of our time. Inspired performances and exceptional musicianship are hallmarks of the Quartet, having appeared at the world’s most illustrious venues since its founding in 2002.
Program:
John Adams: Fellow Traveler
Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, “Rosamunde”
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F major, M. 35

Lecture Overflow
2025-08-18 14:00 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary

Elan Babchuck
2025-08-18 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Rabbi Elan Babchuck is committed to leaving behind a world that is more compassionate and connected than the one he found. In pursuit of that commitment he serves as the Executive Vice President at Clal, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and the Founding Director of Glean Network, which partners with Columbia Business School. He was ordained in 2012, and earned his MBA that year, as well.
A sought-after thought leader, he is the co-author of Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership After Empire (2024, Fortress Press), and Meaning Making – 8 Values That Drive America’s Newest Generations (2020, St. Mary’s Press), as well as the forthcoming Move Slow and Fix Things (2026) and Tech in Search of Meaning (date TBD). He has delivered keynotes at stages ranging from TEDx to the Pentagon to innovation conferences and business schools around the world, he has been published in The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Washington Post, and Religion News Service, and he has a column for The Wisdom Daily.
He is a Founding Partner of Starts With Us, a movement to counteract toxic polarization in America, and a founding Board Member of Springtide Research Institute, which focuses on spirituality, mental health and Gen Z. He has incubated more than 200 startup companies over the past 20 years, and launched 3 of his own in that time, as well.
He lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife, Lizzie Pollock, and their three children: Micah, Nessa, and Ayla. In his spare time, he is an avid rock climber and constant gardener.

CLSC Book Discussion
2025-08-18 12:15 | Alumni Hall Porch, Alumni Hall Porch
Presenters Ruth S. Becker and Kathryn O’Neal will lead a community discussion on our Week Nine CLSC selection The Lost Journals of Sacajewea: A Novel by Debra Magpie Earling

Doris Kearns Goodwin
2025-08-18 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a world-renowned presidential historian, public speaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times No. 1 best-selling author, most recently of An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, published in April 2024. With five decades of scholarship studying Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, Goodwin returns to the Chautauqua Lecture Series to open a week dedicated to the theme “Past Informs Present: How to Harness History.”
Goodwin’s previous books include the critically acclaimed and New York Times best-selling Leadership: In Turbulent Times, which incorporates her five decades of scholarship studying Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. Leadership inspired the young readers book The Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became President, which published in September 2024, and the History Channel’s miniseries events “Abraham Lincoln,” “Theodore Roosevelt” and “FDR,” which Goodwin executive produced through her production company, Pastimes Productions.
Goodwin was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history for No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. Her Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln was awarded the Lincoln Prize and was in part the basis for Steven Spielberg’s highly acclaimed film “Lincoln.”
Goodwin’s interest in presidential leadership was inspired by her experience as a 24-year-old White House Fellow, working directly for President Johnson in his last year in the White House, and later assisting him in the preparation of his memoirs. Her first book was the widely praised and enormously popular Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream.
Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Colby College. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in government from Harvard University, where she taught government, including a course on the American presidency. The first woman to enter the Boston Red Sox locker room in 1979, Goodwin lives in Boston and is a devoted fan of the World Series-winning team.

Pilobolus Open Dance Class
2025-08-18 09:00 | Carnahan-Jackson: Verdy

Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson
2025-08-18 08:30 | Hall of Philosophy Grove
Monte Thompson was a professional dancer, and also spent years as a restauranteur. His life was spent on his feet. Now retired, he is interested in continuing to be able to move easily and gracefully while using breathing and stretching techniques to help quiet his mind and prepare him to face each day with purpose and joy.

Sacred Song Service - Ever Living, Ever Striving, Ever Forming
2025-08-17 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Chautauqua Theater Company presents the world premiere of The Witnesses (formerly titled Tell Me You’re Dying)
2025-08-17 19:30 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater
By C.A. Johnson
Directed by Jade King Carroll
The Witnesses compels us to question not only if we can change but if we have time to do so while the world appears to be ending.
Infused with C.A. Johnson’s brutal honesty, exacting humor, and heartfelt exploration of human relationships, the story pulses with urgency, vulnerability and unexpected warmth.
While an apocalyptic plague rages, five individuals unite in their weekly support group to forge a sanctuary of care and companionship. Centering on the darkly funny and wildly magnetic Millicent and her chosen family of misfits, this play explores the undeniable physical urge for human connection.
This production is recommended for audiences ages 13 and older.
This performance offers:
Pick Your Price (PYP)
CTC’s PYP program ensures theater remains accessible to all by allowing patrons to choose ticket prices based on their budget. This flexible pricing model fosters inclusivity and encourages greater community participation.
Live Audio Descriptions (LAD)
LAD provides narrated descriptions of key visual elements during pauses in dialogue, enhancing accessibility for blind and visually impaired audiences. This complimentary service also benefits neurodiverse patrons and those with attention or processing challenges.

Hebrew Congregation, Shirley Lazarus Sunday Evening Lecture Series
2025-08-17 19:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Palestine Park Tour
2025-08-17 17:00 | Palestine Park, Palestine Park
“A Journey Through the Holy Land in the times of Jesus”

Orientation for New Chautauquans
2025-08-17 16:30 | Hultquist 101, Hultquist 101
Join us for lemonade and cookies at the Orientation for New Chautauquans, where we warmly welcome you to our vibrant community. This event is designed to acquaint you with the rich history, diverse programs, and unique experiences that Chautauqua has to offer. Meet fellow newcomers, engage with staff, and learn about the array of cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities available. Whether you’re here for a day, a week, or the entire season, this orientation will help you make the most of your visit and feel right at home.

Church of the Wild
2025-08-17 16:00 | Outdoor Classroom
Kriss Young Miller and her husband Gary manage the Quaker House. Kriss is a 2022 graduate of Earlham School of Religion with her Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation. Kriss is currently a student of Victoria Loorz in the Seminary of the Wild Earth at the Center for Wild Spirituality. She has completed Wild Church Leadership training and is deeply grateful for the opportunity to work to build connections with Chautauquans in the sacred wild.

Ellen Crosby and Alan King
2025-08-17 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading — Week Nine — Featuring Ellen Crosby (Mystery Fiction) and Alan King (Poetry)
Ellen Crosby is the author of 18 mystery novels; Deeds Left Undone, her most recent book, is the 13th book in a mystery series set in a vineyard in Virginia and will be out in August 2025. She also wrote four mysteries about an international photojournalist and a standalone, Moscow Nights. Her books have been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award. Before writing fiction full time, she was a freelance regional reporter for The Washington Post, Moscow correspondent for ABC Radio News, and an economist at the U.S. Senate. She is on the national board of Mystery Writers of America and is also a member of the Literary Society of Washington, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers.
Alan King is a Caribbean American poet, husband, father, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. The son of Trinidadian immigrants, he has published two poetry collections, Point Blank (Silver Birch Press, 2016) and Drift (Willow Books, 2012), as well as the chapbook Crooked Smiling Light (Plan B Press, 2021). His work delves into themes of family, identity, and social justice and has earned multiple nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net awards.
King’s poetry caught the attention of former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, who remarked, “Alan Kingis one of my favorite up-and-coming poets of his generation. His poems are not pop and flash, rather more like a slow dance with someone you’re going to love forever.”
A Cave Canem graduate fellow, King holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Stonecoast Program at the University of Southern Maine. He was the 2018/19 Writer-in-Residence for the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society. King lives with his family in Bowie, Maryland.

Pilobolus: Family Friendly Performance
2025-08-17 15:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Pilobolus’s performances for families and students captivate young minds, with child-friendly costuming and a soft start to accommodate those unexpected delays. Audiences become part of the action with interactive engagement and enjoy laughter-filled moments that spark creativity and connection. With Pilobolus, artistry and fun take center stage—a perfect outing for students and families alike!

Chautauqua Theater Company presents Best for Baby (a CTC Commission)
2025-08-17 14:00 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater
by Sharyn Rothstein, Directed by Oliver Butler, Bratton Theater
After the birth of her child, a woman returns to work at Johnson & Johnson — America’s most trusted brand — and maker of the powder she 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.

Twelve Step Meeting
2025-08-17 12:15 | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance

Unitarian Universalist Service
2025-08-17 09:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Quaker Worship Service
2025-08-17 09:30 | Quaker House
Quaker Worship Sevice

Unity Service
2025-08-17 09:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

Catholic Mass
2025-08-17 09:15 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary

United Church of Christ Worship Service
2025-08-17 09:00 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Song, Prayer, Communion & Meditation
2025-08-17 08:30 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

Episcopal Holy Eucharist
2025-08-17 07:45 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd
