The members of the 2026 Chautauqua Theater Company. CTC closes out its season with Bratton Late Night at 10 p.m. tonight in Bratton Theater. The event offers an opportunity for the entire company, not just the actors, to have their moment on stage.
SOPHIA ROOKSBERRY
Staff Writer
For one night and one night only, Chautauquans are invited to an evening of cabaret entertainment at Bratton Theater. At 10 p.m. tonight, Chautauqua Theater Company will say goodbye to the season in a night that will be “as joyful and celebratory as the summer has been,” according to Liz Fisher, the program’s director.
“It’s a chance for the entirety of the CTC company — not just the actors, it’s also our designers and our technicians and our staff members — to get up on that stage and express their own unique artistic voice,” Fisher said. “Obviously, the company has planned this whole season, but this is a chance for all of those amazing and beautiful artists to show off what they’re excited about, what they’re interested in, and really celebrate.”
In addition to members of the company moving from behind the curtain into the spotlight, Bratton Late Night promises to showcase the miscellaneous talents of conservatory actors that have remained dormant throughout the season.
“We’ve got members of the Acting Conservatory who [Chautauquans] have seen perform a bunch of different roles throughout the summer,” Fisher said. “You’re going to get to see them do something that they’ve never done before, so if you’re a fan, it’s a great chance to be like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know that they could do that too,’ and then a chance to see the rest of the incredible staff who haven’t been up on that stage show off their talents as well.”
These talents range from music to movement, with original material interspersed among crowd favorites.
“We’re trying to mix it up a little bit,” Fisher said. “You’ll get some singing, and then a performance of something that’s more text-based and then an instrumental performance, and some of it is original, like stuff that this artist specifically made that you’ve never seen before, and some of it is people singing songs that I’m sure people in the audience will know and love.”
In addition to directing The Bone Wars at the beginning of the summer as a FutureNow directing fellow, Fisher’s role is facilitating Bratton Late Night and ensuring a cohesive night of entertainment.
“I see my job a little bit like an old school DJ,” Fisher said. “I’m trying to create a vibe and a flow through the performances, and then I’m also serving as host, so trying to hopefully be charming and funny and keep the energy high … [and] do my best late-night host impression to keep the audience engaged and setting each of our performers up for success.”
Despite this being Fisher’s first summer at Chautauqua, this role allows her to help carry on a decades-long tradition for CTC.
“[Bratton Late Night] has been around for a really, really long time, and there was a little hiatus a few years ago, but they were really excited to bring it back,” Fisher said. “This year, of course, there’s been so much really incredible late-night programming at [Roe Green Theater Center]. I think it’s special to see the [original] roots [of] CTC’s late-night programming by bringing back Bratton Late Night.”
Tickets for Bratton Late Night are available for $15 online or at the ticketing kiosk outside Bratton Theater.
“The hope is that this is a beautiful, joyful celebration of all of the people who made everything happen this summer, on and off stage, and a way to say goodbye, because this specific company is all a unique group of humans, and we won’t all be together again,” Fisher said. “Some may come back [and] some won’t, so it feels like a really special way to celebrate the work of the summer.”
