CHAUTAUQUA SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

JUNE 25 – JULY 31

The Chautauqua Theater Company’s free outdoor Shakespeare returns with a magical midsummer comedy. Follow jealous lovers, mischievous fairies and first time players as they journey through the woods. Love potions, live music and physical comedy enchant in this energetic 90-minute version of Shakespeare’s most beloved play.

THE CHRISTIANS BY LUCAS HNATH

JUNE 28 – JULY 14

Pastor Paul has grown his church from a storefront to a mega-complex, but nothing prepared him or his congregation for the biggest change of all: a change of heart. Featuring live performances by the Chautauquan Choir every night, The Christians is a highly theatrical yet extremely intimate exploration of faith, family and the courage to stand up for what you believe.

CHAUTAUQUA SCHOOL OF DANCE GALA

SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2:30 P.M., AMPHITHEATER

Admission to the Grounds and Amphitheater is free on Sundays. (Parking is free until 2 p.m.)

Chautauqua is recognized as having one of the finest summer dance programs in the U.S., led by Director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Director of Ballet, Kennedy Center Honoree Patricia McBride. Young dancers from around the country audition to be part of this excellent program. This student gala gives Chautauqua an opportunity to see, firsthand, the talent, dedication and grace of these incredible young people.

¡FIGARO! (90210)

MUSIC BY W. A. MOZART; LIBRETTO BY VID GUERRERIO, BASED ON THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO BY LORENZO DA PONTE

JULY 14 IN NORTON HALL

Vid Guerrerio’s multicultural adaptation of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro sets the action in modern-day Beverly Hills. Hollywood elite Paul and Roxanne Conti (Count Almaviva and Rosina) are now married with a daughter, and Figaro and his soon-to-be-bride Susana are undocumented workers on their estate. Hailed by Opera News as “dynamic, thought-provoking, respectful, and, yes, hilarious,” Guerrerio’s English and Spanish libretto infuses Mozart’s masterpiece with humor, heart, and present-day discussions of race, class, and American identity.

Eric Einhorn will direct; Jorge Parodi will serve as music director and conductor. The opera will be performed once during each of Weeks 1-5 of Chautauqua Institution’s 2019 season and will feature a cast of Chautauqua Opera Young Artists.

CHARLOTTE BALLET: “MADE IN CHARLOTTE”

MONDAY, JULY 15, 8:15 P.M., AMPHITHEATER

Chautauqua Institution welcomes back Charlotte Ballet, led by Artistic Director Hope Muir, for two residencies in July. Both residencies will include an evening performance and activities such as pre-performance lectures, public classes in the plaza and master classes for the School of Dance.

Charlotte Ballet presents a selection of bespoke commissions created specifically for the particular talents of the company this season in Charlotte.

SING-A-LONG-A SOUND OF MUSIC

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 7:30 P.M., AMPHITHEATER

Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music is a screening of the classic Julie Andrews musical film in glorious, full-screen technicolor, complete with subtitles so that the whole audience can sing along! This fun-filled show starts with a vocal warmup led by the evening’s host, Marty W. Merkley, who also takes the audience through their ‘magic moments fun pack’ which contains various props to be used at strategic points throughout the film. Audience participation is key to the evening, culminating in a fancy-dress competition where everyone who has come in costume is invited to the stage with the best costumes chosen by the audience! Dressing up is not mandatory, but IS highly encouraged.

AJA GABEL, CLSC AUTHOR, THE ENSEMBLE

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 3:30 P.M., LOCATION HALL OF

PHILOSOPHY

Jana. Brit. Daniel. Henry. Together, they are the Van Ness Quartet. Brit is the second violinist, a beautiful and quiet orphan; on the viola is Henry, a prodigy who’s always had it easy; the cellist is Daniel, the oldest and an angry skeptic who sleeps around; and on first violin is Jana, their flinty, resilient leader. After the group’s youthful, rocky start, they experience devastating failure and wild success, heartbreak and marriage, triumph and loss, betrayal and enduring loyalty. They are always tied to each other – by career, by the intensity of their art, by the secrets they carry, by choosing each other over and over again.

Following these four unforgettable characters, Aja Gabel’s debut novel gives a riveting look into the high-stakes, cutthroat world of musicians, and of lives made in concert. The Ensemble is a heart-skipping portrait of ambition, friendship, and the tenderness of youth.

Aja Gabel’s writing has appeared in BOMB, The Kenyon Review, Glimmer Train, and elsewhere. A former cellist, she earned her B.A. at Wesleyan University, her MFA at the University of Virginia and has a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Aja has been the recipient of fellowships from the Sewanee Writers” Conference, Literary Arts Oregon, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She lives in Los Angeles.

STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE — IN CONCERT

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 8:15 P.M., AMPHITHEATER

Coming to Chautauqua from a galaxy far, far away — experience the magic of Star Wars like you’ve never seen it before on the big screen with John Williams’s Oscar®-winning score performed live by the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy, as he leaves his home planet, battles the evil Empire and learns the ways of the Force.

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

IRA GLASS

SATURDAY, JULY 20, 8:15 P.M., AMPHITHEATER

Ira Glass is the host and creator of the popular public radio program

This American Life. The show is heard each week by over 2.2 million listeners on more than 500 public radio stations, with another 2.5 million downloading each podcast. Under Glass’s editorial direction, This American Life has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including six Peabody awards. In 1999, the American Journalism Review declared that This American Life was “in the vanguard of a journalistic revolution.”