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.

EPSG:4326

The Witnesses

Bratton Theater

It’s 1978, and San Francisco is a divided city. The brutal murders of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk — the nation’s first openly gay elected official — shocked a nation. This gripping documentary play examines the trial of Dan White, the disgruntled former city supervisor whose reduced voluntary manslaughter conviction, rather than murder in the first degree, sparked outrage and introduced the infamous “Twinkie defense.” Ripped from the headlines, personal interviews, and court documents of the past but still resonating powerfully today, this play confronts themes of justice, prejudice, and privilege and grapples with the issues of gun violence and systemic homophobia. This contemporary classic challenges us to reflect on our identity as a nation.

Execution of Justice

What happens when a James Bond-obsessed Dominican boy in Queens (who won’t go anywhere without his nerf gun), finds out that the real James Bond was Dominican? This is a true story about Porfirio Rubirosa, Ian Fleming’s inspiration for Bond, and a young Dominican actor-to-be, whose discovery of “Rubi” shakes his very foundation. Set to a live percussion score and immersive projections, The Real James Bond…Was Dominican is a young man’s guide to love, color, code-switching, white-washing, success, fake-it-till-you-make-it, and the roller coaster of finding one’s true self.

The Real James Bond…Was Dominican

**Event Title:** The Light and The Dark - The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi

**Presented by:** Chautauqua Theater Company

**Location:** Bratton Theater, Chautauqua Institution

**Event Overview:**
"The Light and The Dark" is a compelling theatrical production that brings to life the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, the most successful female painter of the 17th century. Known for her audacity and irreverence, Artemisia's journey is marked by groundbreaking work, brutal betrayals, and a transformative legacy that continues to resonate. This production delves into the profound impact of art in healing trauma and the power of female rage in reshaping societal paradigms.

**Performance Dates:**
- Previews: August 10-14, 2024
- Main Performances: August 15-23, 2024

**Sensory-Friendly Performance:**
- August 13, 2024, 7:30 pm

**Ticket Prices:**
- $45 - $55
- Note: This is a free event, but a single ticket purchase is required for entry.

**Content Warning:**
This production includes adult content, nudity, a depiction of torture, an act of sexual violence, as well as profanity, and may not be suitable for youth 13 and under.

**How To Access This Event:**
- Traditional Gate Pass Holder: A single ticket purchase is required.
- Grounds Access Pass Holder: A single ticket purchase is required.
- No online version of this program is available.

**Creative Team:**
- Playwright: Kate Hamill
- Director: Jade King Carroll
- Dramaturgy: Kristin Leahey

**Special Notes:**
- Sensory-friendly performance available to accommodate neurodiverse audiences with adjusted lighting and sound levels.
- Audience members are permitted to move around and express themselves freely during the sensory-friendly performance.

**For More Information and Ticket Purchase:**
- Visit the Chautauqua Theater Company's website or contact the box office directly via phone or email to reserve your seat.

Join us for a powerful exploration of resilience, art, and transformation in "The Light and The Dark," a world premiere that celebrates the enduring spirit of Artemisia Gentileschi.

The Light and The Dark

**Event: Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine**

**Presented by:** Chautauqua Theater Company

**Location:** Bratton Theater, Chautauqua Institution

**About the Play:**
"Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine" is a sharp-witted satirical comedy by acclaimed playwright Lynn Nottage. The story follows Undine, a successful businesswoman who seemingly has it all - wealth, love, and a fabulous wardrobe. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when her partner disappears, leaving her pregnant, penniless, and forced to confront her past. As Undine returns to her roots in Brooklyn and the family she once abandoned, the play explores themes of identity, social status, and the journey of self-discovery, all with a blend of humor and poignant moments.

**Performance Dates:**
- Previews: July 27-28, 2024
- Performance Run: July 30 - August 4, 2024

**Show Times:**
- July 27 (Preview): 2:30 PM
- July 28 (Preview): 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM
- July 30: 6:30 PM
- July 31: 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM
- August 1 (Sensory-Friendly Performance): 2:30 PM
- August 2: 4:00 PM
- August 3: 4:00 PM
- August 4: 2:30 PM

**Ticket Information:**
- Single Tickets Price: $45 - $55
- Sensory-Friendly Performance and other select shows are free events. Reservation required.

**Content Advisory:**
This production includes adult content, depictions of drug use, and harsh language and may not be suitable for youth 13 and under.

**Special Performance:**
A Sensory-Friendly Performance is scheduled for August 1st, designed to create a more welcoming and accommodating environment for neurodiverse audiences.

**How To Access This Event:**
- Traditional Gate Pass Holder: A single ticket purchase is required.
- Grounds Access Pass Holder: A single ticket purchase is required.
- No online version of this program is available.

**For Reservations and More Information:**
- Phone: [Contact Information]
- Email: [Contact Information]

Join us at the Chautauqua Theater Company for a compelling journey from riches to rags, filled with unexpected joys and the chaos of life, as told through the lens of Lynn Nottage's "Fabulation."

Fabulation

**Event: Birthday Candles at Chautauqua Theater Company**

**Overview:**
Chautauqua Theater Company is thrilled to present "Birthday Candles," a captivating play by Noah Haidle. This heartfelt and humorous production takes audiences on a journey through the significant, challenging, and remarkable moments in the life of Ernestine Ashworth. From her 17th birthday through to her 101st, the play explores the cosmic insignificance and the profound beauty of the everyday, measured by the simple tradition of baking a birthday cake. Originally developed as a New Play Workshop during the 2017 season and subsequently performed across the country, Chautauqua is now set to mount its own full production, marking a fitting celebration for Chautauqua Institution’s 150th birthday.

**Performance Dates and Times:**
- Preview: July 5, 2024, 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
- Additional performances span from July 6 to July 21, 2024, with various matinee and evening showings.

**Location:**
Bratton Theater, Chautauqua Institution

**Ticket Information:**
- Single Tickets Price: $45 - $55
- Note: A single ticket purchase is required for this event, regardless of passholder status. There is no online version of this program.

**Special Performance:**
A sensory-friendly performance is scheduled, designed to create a more calming environment for neurodiverse audiences. This includes dimmed house lights, reduced sound levels, and a judgment-free space for movement and vocalization.

**Age Appropriateness:**
This production may not be suitable for youth under 8.

**How to Access:**
Tickets can be purchased by traditional gate pass holders and grounds access pass holders alike, emphasizing the need for a single ticket purchase for event access.

**Contact Information:**
For more details or to reserve your seat, attendees are encouraged to call or email the Chautauqua Theater Company. Specific contact details were not provided but can likely be found on the Chautauqua Institution’s official website or by inquiring directly with the theater company.

**Additional Notes:**
"Birthday Candles" promises to be a reflective and engaging production, inviting audiences to contemplate the passage of time and the moments that define a life. It's a unique opportunity to celebrate the art of theater and the enduring legacy of the Chautauqua Institution with a story that resonates across generations.

Birthday Candles

Daniel is a single, uninsured freelancer accustomed to a carefree lifestyle, until a casual relationship results in a dangerously premature baby. As he is faced with the sudden responsibility of fatherhood, he befriends Caroline, a whip-smart neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, struggling to find balance in her own life. With humor and brutal honesty, tiny father reveals both the joys and fears of parenthood.  

tiny father

A fresh comedic take on the beloved classic novel, this new Pride & Prejudice challenges our expectations. Lizzy, the second eldest of the Bennet sisters, does not believe in the institution of marriage, or even love. Her unconventional thinking begins to influence her sisters, resulting in chaos for the whole family. When Mr. Darcy, a frustratingly proud yet somehow still intriguing gentleman starts popping up at every turn, Lizzy begins to question her resolve. A farcical clash of the classes and a battle of wits ensues.   

Pride and Prejudice

History has never been this ridiculous nor this fun! It’s 1876, and Alexander Graham Bell and his archrival, Elisha Gray, compete to save the world from the tyranny of telegraphs. Toiling in their laboratories, skullduggery ensues as the inventors go to extraordinary lengths in their absurd quest for legacy. Who will claim the title? Stranger-than-fiction, Ahoy-Hoy is a deliriously unhinged gallop through the (mostly) true tale of the invention of the telephone.

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents New Play Workshop 1: Ahoy-Hoy by Jenny Stafford

Paleontologists O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope race against each other to uncover the secrets of the prehistoric world. Between them, they discover and named 136 new species of dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Coelophysis, and Allosaurus. Their rivalry also led to their professional and personal ruin. The Bone Wars brings to life the explosive true story of the legendary rivalry between two American paleontologists in the late 1800s.

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 1: The Bone Wars

Roe Green Theater Center

Best for Baby and 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 — featuring Broadway actor Crystal Dickinson — alongside members of CTC’s beloved conservatory.

Best for Baby

In a world that looks remarkably like ours, the National Agency of Literary Advisors gives writers “gentle advice” about what kinds of stories the world wants to see. And then, the advice gets less gentle. ERASERS is a bloodthirsty comedy about office supplies and fascism.

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 2: ERASERS: A Bloodthirsty Comedy

In the wake of an untimely prognosis, a father and son must relearn how to share space after years of estrangement. They pass the time with quiet rituals – making coffee, playing chess – navigating what is left to say and what is better left unsaid. Funny, tender, and deeply human, The Motions is an ode to the small movements that make a life, and the possibility of beginning again even at our very ends.

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents New Play Workshop 2: The Motions by Zora Howard

August Wilson’s celebrated classic solo piece is an autobiographical tour de force that follows Wilson’s journey through the streets of Pittsburgh’s Hill District — through artistic awakenings, odd jobs and heartbreaks — capturing the moments that forged his identity. From the 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 playwright he became.

How I Learned What I Learned

Shakespeare’s most musical comedy springs to life in a playful and vibrant new adaptation by Peter Andersen, featuring original music by indie-pop-folk trio and Chautauqua favorites Bandits on the Run. Two lovers meet in the Forest of Arden, but all is not as it seems in this sweet and subversive classic brought to life by the full 2026 CTC Acting Conservatory and professional guest artists. This exciting workshop explores Shakespeare’s text alongside those of his queer contemporaries, riffing on the play’s original lyrics with newly composed music by Bandits. All the world’s a stage!

Chautauqua Theater Company

2 - 4 Jul, 2026

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents New Play Workshop 1: Ahoy-Hoy by Jenny Stafford

Jul 10 - Aug 1, 2026

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 1: The Bone Wars

Jul 18 - Aug 2, 2026

Best for Baby

Jul 24 - Aug 1, 2026

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 2: ERASERS: A Bloodthirsty Comedy

Jul 30 - Aug 1, 2026

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents New Play Workshop 2: The Motions by Zora Howard

9 - 23 Aug, 2025

The Witnesses

12 - 25 Jul, 2025

Execution of Justice

Chautauqua Theater Company