Week Two: June 28–July 5, 2025

Every summer Chautauqua Institution welcomes over 100,000 visitors, to celebrate community and prioritize personal growth. Many travel here to relax, renew and recharge on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. Join us and see for yourself why Chautauqua was, and continues to be, a cherished destination. Keep scrolling to explore Week Two’s Theme: Comedy Now: A Week Curated with Lewis Black. 

Featured Entertainment and Events

Chautauqua Lecture Series

Comedy Now: A Week Curated with Lewis Black
In Partnership with the National Comedy Center

Longtime friend of Chautauqua and National Comedy Center Advisory Board Member Lewis Black, the celebrated comedian known for his trademark acerbic style, helps curate a laugh-inducing and thought-provoking week dedicated to the craft and practice of comedy. We’ll consider how comedy genres, styles and content have evolved to meet modern tastes and sensibilities, and the comedian’s role in defending free speech. The sharpest voices across comedy generations come together at Chautauqua to help us explore these critical questions and others — if we can hear them over the laughter. 

Opening the week on Monday, June 30, 2025, is Lewis Black himself, in conversation with Pixar Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer (and director of “Inside Out”) Pete Docter and “Inside Out 2” director Kelsey Mann, as the trio discusses the intersection of humor and the heartfelt.

Confirmed Lectures

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June 30 @ 10:45 am Week Two (June 28–July 5)

Pete Docter, Kelsey Mann & Lewis Black

Amphitheater | CHQ Assembly

$30 View Details
Pete Docter, Kelsey Mann & Lewis Black
Pete Docter, Kelsey Mann & Lewis Black
Monday, June 30th 2025 @ 10:45 am
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Pete Docter, Kelsey Mann & Lewis Black

Early film pitches for Pixar’s Academy Award-winning “Inside Out” named comedian Lewis Black to illustrate how an iconic voice like that belonging to the “King of the Rant” could bring an emotion like “Anger” to life. Black went on to voice the character in both the 2015 film and its 2024 sequel — now the highest grossing animated film of all time; a fan of all things Pixar, Black has called the opportunity a career-defining role. Now, the Chautauqua favorite returns to the Amphitheater stage with his “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2” directors Pete Docter and Kelsey Mann, respectively, to discuss the intersection of humor and the heartfelt. Their conversation opens a Chautauqua Lecture Series week co-curated with Black himself, and in partnership with the National Comedy Center.

Pete Docter is the Oscar-winning director of “Monsters, Inc.,” “Up,” “Inside Out” and “Soul,” and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He has served as a member of the National Comedy Center Advisory Board since 2019.

Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the studio’s third animator, Docter collaborated and helped develop the story and characters for “Toy Story,” Pixar’s first full-length animated feature film, for which he also was supervising animator. He served as a storyboard artist on “A Bug’s Life,” and wrote initial story treatments for both “Toy Story 2” and “WALL-E.” Docter also executive produced “Monsters University” and the Academy Award-winning “Brave.” Docter has won three Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature for “Up,” “Inside Out,” and “Soul,” and has received nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Animated Feature for “Monsters, Inc.,” and Best Original Screenplay for “Up,” “Inside Out” and “WALL-E.” In 2010, “Up” also was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Kelsey Mann first came to Pixar Animation Studios in 2009 and was the story supervisor on the 2013 feature film “Monsters University.” In this capacity, he oversaw a team of story artists through the process of storyboarding the film. He also contributed ancillary material during the production of the Academy Award-winning feature “Toy Story 3.” Mann was soon tapped to direct the “Monsters University” short film “Party Central,” and he also worked as the story supervisor on “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward.” Most recently, Mann directed Pixar’s feature film “Inside Out 2.”

Mann launched his animation career as an intern at Reelworks, a small Minneapolis-based commercial studio. From there, he moved to Los Angeles in 2000 and went on to hold a variety of positions including animation, storyboarding and directing for companies such as Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. and Lucasfilm Animation.

Known as the “King of the Rant,” Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and animated finger-pointing to skewer anything and anyone that gets under his skin. He’s made audiences across the world laugh at the absurdities of life, with topics that include current events, social media, politics and anything else that exposes the hypocrisy and madness he sees in the world.

In 1996, Black was tapped to create a weekly segment for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” The segment, a three-minute rant about whatever was bothering him at the moment, evolved into “Back in Black,” becoming one of the most popular and longest-running segments on the show.

In his comedic career, Black has released more than a dozen albums — receiving six Grammy nominations and two wins for his work — and has filmed two specials for HBO, including “Black On Broadway” and “Red, White and Screwed.” The latter was nominated for an Emmy in 2007. His most recent stand-up specials are 2020’s “Thanks for Risking Your Life” and 2023’s “Tragically, I Need You” — his 15th stand-up special.

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July 1 @ 10:45 am Week Two (June 28–July 5)

“Behind the Scenes at ‘The Daily Show’”

Amphitheater | CHQ Assembly

$30 View Details
“Behind the Scenes at ‘The Daily Show’”
“Behind the Scenes at ‘The Daily Show’”
Tuesday, July 1st 2025 @ 10:45 am
Amphitheater & 
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“Behind the Scenes at ‘The Daily Show’”

“Behind the Scenes at ‘The Daily Show’” is precisely what it means. Through the eyes of those who know it best, audiences will be given a behind-the-scenes look at “The Daily Show” for the Chautauqua Lecture Series’ week “Comedy Now: A Week Curated with Lewis Black — In Partnership with the National Comedy Center.” Jen Flanz (executive producer, writer and showrunner), Matt O’Brien (writer/producer), Max Browning (supervising producer) and Elise Terrell (co-executive producer) will share the show’s history, how it has evolved and changed, the highs and the lows along the way, and an idea of what a day at “The Daily Show” is like. The panel will be rounded out by Lewis Black, who has presented the show’s popular “Back in Black” segment for nearly three decades. In this presentation, audiences will get an understanding of how the team mines the news daily and come up with comic gold — well, maybe not all the time, but a lot.

Jen Flanz serves as executive producer, writer and the showrunner of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” During her 25-plus years on the “Daily Show” team, Flanz has played a significant role in creating content for the show’s linear and not-so-linear programming, including both taped and live coverage, innovative social content, print books, original podcasts and on-the-ground activation spaces. Most recently, Flanz oversaw the return of Jon Stewart to the iconic “news” desk and transformed the format of over 25 years from a solo hosted show to a multi-hosted show, where Stewart is hosting alongside a rotation of the News Team (Jordan Klepper, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chieng and Michael Kosta). This exciting change came after a long stretch of unexpected shifts for the marquee brand from at-home production amid the COVID-19 pandemic to in-studio production at the Paramount headquarters in Times Square, eventually leading to the show’s successful return to its home studio in Hell’s Kitchen where it welcomed an in-studio audience for the first time in two years. Then came the departure of a permanent host Trevor Noah and, rounding out the winding road, a cycle of celebrity guest hosts at the “Daily Show” desk. Flanz is no stranger to the ever-evolving “Daily Show” landscape, as she was an instrumental figure during the 2015 transition of hosts from Stewart to Noah and the subsequent rebranding of the show. She has also executive produced multiple specials under the “Daily Show” umbrella, and her producing roles have won her nine Primetime Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, a Gracie Awards and a Television Academy Honors Award.

Max Browning is an Emmy Award-winning supervising producer on “The Daily Show.” There, Browning co-runs the Topical Assignments Group, which leads the show’s coverage of current events, breaking news and deep dives. He and his team use the foundations of journalism and comedy to research and produce the show’s headlines and think pieces.

Matt O’Brien is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer for “The Daily Show.” Prior to joining “TDS,” he worked as the head writer on “Conan” for six seasons, before successfully getting that show canceled.

Elise Terrell is an Emmy Award-winning co-executive producer for “The Daily Show.” As an integral part of “The Daily Show” team for nearly 20 years, Terrell has held various production and creative roles throughout her tenure. Her longevity at the show has allowed her to explore the various satirical aspects of changing political, social, and media landscapes over the course of four presidential administrations. Currently, she jointly manages the team responsible for producing all scripted and unscripted packages on the program, bringing the vision and voice of the show to life through these segments.

Known as the “King of the Rant,” Lewis Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and animated finger-pointing to skewer anything and anyone that gets under his skin. He’s made audiences across the world laugh at the absurdities of life, with topics that include current events, social media, politics and anything else that exposes the hypocrisy and madness he sees in the world.

In 1996, Black was tapped to create a weekly segment for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” The segment, a three-minute rant about whatever was bothering him at the moment, evolved into “Back in Black,” becoming one of the most popular and longest-running segments on the show.

In his comedic career, Black has released more than a dozen albums — receiving six Grammy nominations and two wins for his work — and has filmed two specials for HBO, including “Black On Broadway” and “Red, White and Screwed.” The latter was nominated for an Emmy in 2007. His most recent stand-up specials are 2020’s “Thanks for Risking Your Life” and 2023’s “Tragically, I Need You” — his 15th stand-up special.

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July 2 @ 10:45 am Week Two (June 28–July 5)

“Johnny Carson at 100”

Amphitheater | CHQ Assembly

$30 View Details
“Johnny Carson at 100”
“Johnny Carson at 100”
Wednesday, July 2nd 2025 @ 10:45 am
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“Johnny Carson at 100”

Johnny Carson’s 100th birthday year is celebrated with a look back at his remarkable 30-year legacy as the “King of Late Night” and the pivotal role that Carson’s “Tonight Show” played in shaping the modern era of stand-up comedy. Leading this celebration for the Chautauqua Lecture Series week “Comedy Now: A Week Curated with Lewis Black — In Partnership with the National Comedy Center” is Jeff Sotzing, a television producer and media executive best known for his work in preserving and continuing the legacy of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” and stand-up comedian and cultural historian Wayne Federman.

As the president of Carson Entertainment Group for over 30 years now, Jeff Sotzing has been instrumental in managing and curating the extensive Johnny Carson archive, ensuring that Carson’s legacy endures for future generations. He began his career in television working for “The Tonight Show,” notably contributing to one of the most beloved programs of all time while rising through the ranks — from production assistant to stage manager, then associate producer, and by 1990, producer. Sotzing was a key member of the producing team that received an Emmy Award for “The Tonight Show” as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 1992.

Sotzing’s deep understanding of the show’s impact and legacy has positioned him as a key figure in its continued cultural relevance. Under his leadership, Carson Entertainment Group became an early innovator in cataloging, restoring and digitizing television history — preserving thousands of hours of classic “Tonight Show” episodes. His efforts have brought Carson’s timeless humor to modern platforms and new audiences with the production of retrospective specials, documentaries, compilation DVDs and digital content that celebrate Carson’s pioneering contributions to late-night television.

A board member and chief program officer of the Johnny Carson Foundation, Sotzing has played a pivotal role in preserving Carson’s legacy through exhibit collaborations with the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Johnny Carson’s hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, and with the National Comedy Center, where “Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience,” with hologram host Jimmy Fallon, opened in 2022.

Wayne Federman is a stand-up comedian, actor, author, cultural historian, Emmy Award-winning producer, and a professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts, where he teaches the history of stand-up comedy as well as level-2 stand-up performance. Federman has been a touring stand-up for over 35 years, has his own special on Comedy Central, and has appeared multiple times on “The Tonight Show.”

The producer of the Emmy Award-winning HBO documentaries “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling” and “George Carlin’s American Dream,” Federman is currently producing a two-part Mel Brooks documentary for HBO/MAX and a Norm Macdonald documentary for Netflix. Federman is the author of the Amazon-bestselling The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain To Dave Chappelle, which is used in curriculum at several universities, and co-host and producer of a popular podcast with the same name. His critically acclaimed three-volume stand-up compilation, The Chronicles of Federman, is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Amazon.

Federman has acted in numerous films and TV shows, including “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “What We Do In The Shadows,” “Silicon Valley,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Community,” “The X-Files,” “Legally Blonde,” “Knocked Up,” “Step Brothers,” “The 40‐Year‐Old Virgin” and “50 First Dates.” Additionally, Federman was also the head monologue writer for NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” over its first season.

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Interfaith Lecture Series

Sin and Redemption: Practices and Possibilities for Reconciliation

In a world of cancel culture, where one perceived wrong act or utterance can lead to loss of employment or reputation, is there something we might learn from the religious concept of sin? How do we understand sin today? What do we make of sin on a personal and a corporate level? How can sinful behavior, or a sinful nature, be redeemed? This week we will dive deep on historical, theological and practical approaches to sin and redemption, and shine a light on the hope we can have for the future — one that is reconciled to one another and to all that is holy. 

Confirmed Lectures

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June 30 @ 2:00 pm Week Two (June 28–July 5)

Emilie M. Townes

Hall of Philosophy | CHQ Assembly

$19.00 View Details
Emilie M. Townes
Emilie M. Townes
Monday, June 30th 2025 @ 2:00 pm
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Emilie M. Townes

Emilie M. Townes, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Religion and Black Studies at Boston University School of Theology, is an American Baptist clergywoman, and a native of Durham, North Carolina. Townes is the Dean Emerita and the former University Distinguished Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science, becoming the first African American to serve as Dean of the Divinity School in 2013. She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a PhD in Religion in Society and Personality from Northwestern University.

She is the former Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Religion and Theology at Yale University Divinity School and in the fall of 2005, she was the first African American woman elected to the presidential line of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and served as president in 2008.

She was the first African American and first woman to serve as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Yale Divinity School. She is the former Carolyn Williams Beaird Professor of Christian Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Social Ethics at Saint Paul School of Theology.

Editor of two collection of essays, A Troubling in My Soul: Womanist Perspectives on Evil and Suffering and Embracing the Spirit: Womanist Perspectives on Hope, Salvation, and Transformation; she has also authored Womanist Ethics, Womanist Hope, In a Blaze of Glory: Womanist Spirituality as Social Witness, Breaking the Fine Rain of Death: African American Health Issues and a Womanist Ethic of Care, and her groundbreaking book, Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. She is co-editor with Stephanie Y. Mitchem of the Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life and co-editor with the late Katie Geneva Cannon and Angela Sims for the Womanist Theological Ethics: A Reader done with was published in November 2011. Her most recent co-editorship is with Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Alison Gise Johnson, and Angela Sims for Walking Through the Valley: Essays: Womanist Explorations in the Spirit of Katie Geneva Cannon (2022).

Townes was elected a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. She was the first Black woman to serve as president of the American Academy of Religion in 2008 and served a four-year term as president of the Society for the Study of Black Religion from 2012 to 2016.

In 2022, Townes was elected to the presidential line of the Society of Christian Ethics. Her presidential year will be 2025. At that time, she will be the first Black woman to hold this office.

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July 1 @ 2:00 pm Week Two (June 28–July 5)

Rebecca Clarren

Hall of Philosophy | CHQ Assembly

$19.00 View Details
Rebecca Clarren
Rebecca Clarren
Tuesday, July 1st 2025 @ 2:00 pm
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Rebecca Clarren

Award-winning journalist Rebecca Clarren has been writing about the American West for more than twenty-five years.

She is the winner of the 2021 Whiting Nonfiction Grant, the Hillman Prize, an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship, and ten grants from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Her latest work of creative nonfiction, The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance (2023, Viking/Penguin) has garnered numerous awards and was named a Best Book of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews, the Jewish Forward, Christian Science Monitor and The Tribal College Journal. Her debut novel, Kickdown (Sky Horse Press, 2018), was shortlisted for the PEN/Bellwether Prize.

She also writes poems, some of which are published in North American Review and Poetry Northwest.

She lives in Portland, Oregon with her family.

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July 2 @ 2:00 pm Week Two (June 28–July 5)

Barry W. Lynn

Hall of Philosophy | CHQ Assembly

$19.00 View Details
Barry W. Lynn
Barry W. Lynn
Wednesday, July 2nd 2025 @ 2:00 pm
Hall of Philosophy & 
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Barry W. Lynn

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn served as executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State from 1992 – 2018. An attorney, minister, and long-time activist in the civil liberties field, Lynn came to Americans United with an impressive background in church-state issues.

Before accepting the post at Americans United, Lynn held a variety of positions related to religious liberty. From 1984 to 1991 he was legislative counsel for the Washington lobbying office of the American Civil Liberties Union, where he frequently worked on church-state issues. From 1974 to 1980 Lynn served in a variety of positions with the national offices of the United Church of Christ, including a two-year stint as legislative counsel for the Church’s Office of Church in Society in Washington, D.C.

A member of the Washington, D.C. and Supreme Court bar, Lynn earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1978. In addition, he is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ who received his theology degree from Boston University School of Theology in 1973. Lynn earned his bachelor’s degree at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Lynn is the author of Piety and Politics: The Right-Wing Assault on Religious Freedom and God and Government as well as being co-author of First Freedom First with C. Welton Gaddy. He has also written the autobiographical trilogy Paid to Piss People Off and is a sought-after speaker.

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July 4 @ 2:00 pm Week Two (June 28–July 5)

Brian Webb

Hall of Philosophy | CHQ Assembly

$19.00 View Details
Brian Webb
Brian Webb
Friday, July 4th 2025 @ 2:00 pm
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Brian Webb

Brian Webb serves as the Director of Campus Sustainability at the College of Wooster, with his primary responsibility being to lead the college’s efforts to promote environmental stewardship at an institutional level. This includes planning sustainability events and programs, working with faculty to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum, partnering with facilities to reduce energy usage, and coordinating with the administration to implement policies and procedures that help elevate Wooster’s position as a leader in environmental sustainability.
Before coming to Wooster in August 2023, Brian worked at Houghton University as the Director of Sustainability and as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. Under Brian’s leadership, the college achieved a 46% carbon footprint reduction in just ten years. Brian also serves as an active leader in the faith-based environmental movement and co-directs the Christian Climate Observers Program, which mentors emerging faith leaders by bringing them to the annual UN climate conference. His research area of interest centers around the intersection between climate change policy, environmental communication, and faith communities in the United States and elsewhere.

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Weekly Chaplain

Jacqui Lewis' headshot

The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis

The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis uses her gifts as author, activist, preacher, and public theologian toward creating an antiracist, just, gun violence free, fully welcoming, gender affirming society in which everyone has enough.

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People in theater, dance, opera, orchestra and concert performances

Explore Performing and Visual Arts

The arts can sometimes bridge differences and illuminate perspectives as no other method can. Artistic expressions at Chautauqua — including professional and pre-professional offerings in classical and contemporary music, theater, opera, dance, visual arts and literary arts — aim to inspire, educate, entertain and engage a diverse and growing audience.

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Places to Stay

If you love the events you see in Week Two, ensure you have accommodations. Space on the ground is limited, and accommodations go fast find reservations at the Hotel or Private Accommodations.

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Dining & Shopping

Make your Chautauqua experience memorable! Share a delicious meal at one of our many restaurants. Or take piece of Chautauqua home with you from our unique shops.

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