August 26, 2011 
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After 10 years of dedication and work with Chautauqua Theater Company and Chautauqua Opera Company, house managers Ken and Carolyn Benton have decided to retire.
Carolyn, now a retired music teacher, began coming to Chautauqua each summer as a child and is in her 10th season as the chimemaster at the Miller Bell Tower.
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August 26, 2011 Comments Off
Lee Heinz never had a doubt in her mind about what she wanted to spend her life doing.
“I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be an actor,” she said.
Heinz, a fifth-generation Chautauquan who has been coming to the Institution since she was 2 months old, originally is from Warren, Ohio. She now lives in New York City working as an actress. Chautauqua was a place that nurtured Heinz’s love of acting.
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August 26, 2011 Comments Off
While Chautauqua Theater Company has completed its season, guests looking to get one last dose of theater will find it at Fletcher Music Hall at 2 p.m. Saturday with Chautauquan David Zinman’s one-act play “What’s in a Name?”
Zinman, who runs the Classic Film Series at the Chautauqua Cinema, typically does a staged reading of his plays at the end of each season. His inspiration for this season’s play came from a real-life story he heard while in a library one day.
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August 23, 2011 Comments Off
The Friends of Chautauqua Theater Company work hard to provide financial and moral support for the Chautauqua Theater Company each season, and the 2011 Season allowed for continued and new events to help show this support, executive director Gwen Tigner said.
The “Adopt an Actor” program was the first of the Friends events this season, and this program acts as direct support for the 14 conservatory members as the Friends match them with “parents.” While Tigner said the adoptive relationships vary from pair to pair, the program acts as an underlying support system for the conservatory members, even if they just need a place to do a load of laundry.
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August 21, 2011 Comments Off
When he’s not at Chautauqua serving as artistic director of Chautauqua Theater Company, Ethan McSweeny puts his directing skills to good use. He already has plans to direct three productions following the season. Prior to the start of this summer, he worked with the Shakespeare Theatre Company directing William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.”
The show ran June 21 through July 24 at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, D.C., and McSweeny said what made this production special was the number of CTC alumni in the cast. This list includes former conservatory members Liz Wisan (Nerissa), Amelia Pedlow (Jessica) and Matthew Carlson (Lorenzo).
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August 19, 2011 Comments Off
After getting to know and love the actors of Chautauqua Theater Company throughout the summer, Chautauquans will have one last chance to see the conservatory members as a group at the Bratton Late Night Cabaret.
The event will take place at 10:30 p.m. tonight at Bratton Theater.
Artistic Director Ethan McSweeny said the Cabaret is a great way for conservatory members to finish out their summer in Chautauqua.
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August 17, 2011 Comments Off
For a deeper understanding of William Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” guests can attend tonight’s “’fore-Play: Love’s Labour’s Lost” at 7 p.m. in Hurlbut Memorial Community United Methodist Church.
Directing fellow Patrick Walsh will lead the event as an open dialogue with the audience rather than a lecture. It will last approximately 45 minutes, allowing attendees enough time to arrive to Bratton Theater for the 8 p.m. performance of the play.
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August 17, 2011 Comments Off
Five jazz ambassadors will make their first appearance tonight at Chautauqua Institution.
The Chris Byars Quartet, with special guest Zaid Nasser, will perform for the Amphitheater audience from 8:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
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Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 170,000 visitors will participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages—all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village. Learn more →
