From left are Rotarian Jim Smith, theater artist Rachel Lykins, Artistic Assistant with the Chautauqua Theater Company and Rotary President Marion Beckerink.

Rotarian Jim Smith introduced Rachel Lykins, a theater artist originally from Huntington, W.V., during a recent Rotary Club of Jamestown meeting.

She recently graduated from the MFA Acting Program at UC Irvine, Calif. Currently, she serves as the Administrative Assistant at the Chautauqua Theater Company. In the fall, she will be traveling to the Milwaukee Theater as a Swing in Prelude to a Kiss: The Musical. She will be working at the theater and performing in the play as well. Lytkins is based in Southern California with her cat, Kiki.

Lykins was the assistant to Chautauqua Theater Director Anthony Borba last year and is interested in building and running a theater company in her state capitol, Sacramento.

Jennifer Davis is in her second season with the Chautauqua Theater Company and serves as the artistic assistant. She is a music teacher and public relations specialist at Chautauqua Lake Central School District. A supporter of theater, Davis is actively involved in the theater community in Chautauqua County. She participated in her first show at the Lucille Ball Little Theater of Jamestown in 2010 and remains active as an organizer and fundraiser for the organization.

Birthday Candles was staged July 9-21 at the Bratton Theater in Chautauqua Institution, followed by FABULATION, July 30-Aug. 4 and The Light and the Dark, Aug. 15-23. The Chautauqua Theater Company continues its commitment to new play development with readings of three plays in progress by playwrights who participate in post-show talk backs, brown bag discussions and other related events with writers, actors, and creative teams. Actors talk through their roles standing behind music stands and then are eager to receive comments from the audience members regarding the play, its words, and their enactments. Often changes are made by the playwrights before the play is performed publicly based upon the criticism of the audience. There are nine conservatory actors who attend voice, movement, and acting classes in addition to these “performances.”

Davis said she is very enthusiastic and involved in the Young Playwrights Program in Chautauqua for third through fifth grades in the off-season. Teaching artists visit the schools and present to the students, teaching them the mechanics of the theater. The students then write plays which are read by Chautauqua Play readers. Three plays are chosen and finally in June, there are three performances at Chautauqua Institution where professionals present the three chosen plays.

Davis said the Chautauqua Theater Company will host a special performance during the 150th anniversary of the Chautauqua Institution on Aug. 1 at 6:30 at the Bratton Theater. There will be a very special play reading of an American classic featuring the talents of several CTC former artistic directors and the celebration of the $4.5 million commitment to advance the completion of the new Roe Green Theater Center. The new construction will consist of a state-of-the-art, centralized facility for Chautauqua Theater Company to complement the beautiful Bratton Theater, adding a black box/flexible space, rehearsal studios, offices for the CTC leadership and other support spaces. It will organize CTC artists in one area, replacing the former Brawdy complex. The gift consists of a $3 million outright contribution and a $1.5 million matching challenge gift.