Cody Englander
Staff writer
Three weeks after Chautauqua Institution Interim Chief Executive Kyle Keogh told the community that the organization was facing a $4 million to $6 million budget shortfall, he provided an update Monday via Zoom, sharing what he’d heard from the community in response, and what staff would be facing when the season ends.
He began by noting Chautauqua is coming off “the best week in a long time,” with the weekend of Aug. 1 to Aug. 3 seeing three sell-out shows in a row from the Avett Brothers and two back-to-back nights of Laufey with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.
“It filled Chautauqua, and they were actually the best nights we’ve ever had at (the Athenaeum Hotel), which includes the bar, Heirloom Restaurant and other areas,” Keogh said.
He cited shows like these as bringing in a younger audience to Chautauqua, a step toward getting a more diverse crowd on the grounds.
He noted no major operational challenges or interruptions for programming, even saying that the innovations to the calendar this year have yielded positive results.
“Special Studies has had its best year ever,” Keogh said, and highlighted Week Seven’s mainstage programming in particular. “Kwame Alexander as a host sort of harkened back to (theme weeks of) ‘Roger Rosenblatt and Friends,’ but Kwame is a big name in and of himself, and so he actually innovated new formats right on the scene.”
He noted other upsides the grounds saw this summer. Keogh believed that food service has improved on the grounds compared to previous years, seeing improved satisfaction. Week Nine also looked to be the best financial week of the summer, which he believed could be attributed to the 10:45 a.m. Chautauqua Lecture Series, which included Morgan Freeman.
Despite the end of the summer closing on a positive note, Chautauqua Institution has had issues with attendance since the pandemic.
“Our long-term attendance will not meet our objectives,” Keogh said. “This is actually the first year in a long time we’ve actually seen attendance decline slightly from last year.”
Compared to 2019, the grounds are down 13% in overnight or long-term patrons. There is a decline of 190 people per day at Chautauqua since 2019 — not dramatic, and recoverable, he said.
Heading into the 2026 Summer Assembly, Keogh and the board of trustees have four goals: focus on the nine-week season, invest $4.2 million in annual capital preservation, maintain an adequate cash balance and position Chautauqua to attract and retain the best talent, including the next president of Chautauqua.
Plans have been put in place already to achieve these goals and attempt to draw in new guests.
“We’re going to reduce the staff housing use next year inside the gates,” Keogh said. “That does two things. One, it lowers our costs, because it’s very expensive, as you know, to rent inside the Institution. And two is, it frees up that space to get part of those 190 people back that we need.”
One of the decided cuts is the Grounds Access Pass. Originally introduced after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Keogh said it was a work-around — and more affordable — option for patrons that also prevented a crowded Amphitheater. The office in Washington D.C. will also be closed as a cost-saving measure.
Lastly, while nothing is official, Keogh said he and the board are eyeing reductions in personnel, expenses not directly related to program, and certain investments aligned with both demand and philanthropy.
“Some of the areas, like the symphony, like the theater, like the opera, you’d usually expect 50% to 70% of the revenue required for that to come from philanthropy, and right now we get some portions of that, but not anywhere near that level,” Keogh said.
He spoke on short-term areas of focus, noting off-season work hosting conferences and weddings, both profitable areas.
Next, an area of focus the Institution will look at is the return rates of new Chautauquans. Seventy-eight percent of new Chautauquans don’t return, but 20% do. One of the ways to retain new Chautauquans is with housing — and the Institution has limited spaces to house newcomers.
“Between 2015 and 2025 our rental capacity declined 15% in terms of the buildings, and 27% actually fewer units to rent,” Keogh said.
Moving staff off grounds will help, as well as the creation of a subcommittee on the board dedicated to solving this problem. He noted a potential long-term solution, hoping to add condo-style housing on the grounds.
The target for budget cuts, he said, remains $4 million to $6 million, and he’s heard community support for shuttering the D.C. office and discontinuing the Grounds Access Pass. He’s also received feedback that the Institution’s IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility) work is a priority, and reported that philanthropy for that department has already been pledged.
Keogh has also heard the community’s response to The Chautauquan Daily’s projected $170,000 deficit, and the sentiment expressed has been that readers want to continue the print edition of the newspaper — but this means an increase in subscription costs and ad rates.
Keogh closed with a discussion of Chautauqua’s mission going forward, and an outline of next steps. The Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees has its quarterly meeting Saturday, in which trustees will receive a report on the 2025 season. According to the presentation, “broader/deeper staff engagement” will happen between Monday’s webinar, in the final week of the season, and Sept. 5, the week immediately following.
The board of trustees will have a special meeting on Sept. 13, and staff will have a 2026 budget before the board for preliminary review in early November.
Community updates should be expected in early October, mid-November, and again in mid-December after the board’s final approval of the 2026 budget and the $4 million to $6 million in reductions.
