Classical Theatre Company Announces 2017-2018 10th Anniversary Mainstage Season

A winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Grant Award by the American Theatre Wing, Classical Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce the lineup for its 2017-2018 Mainstage Season. As the only professional theatre company in the State of Texas that solely produces classical drama on a year-round basis, CTC only produces plays that are 100 or more years old.

CTC will be celebrating its tenth anniversary with a trio of plays that directly reflect the time in which they will be produced. "The classics can always be topical," says Executive Artistic Director John Johnston. "We wouldn't put on plays that don't resonate with our audiences. But in this landmark tenth season, I felt that it was more important than ever to use our art to reach out to our audiences, and as Hamlet so keenly noted, hold 'the mirror up to nature.'"

Classical Theatre Company returns to the great George Bernard Shaw for this first time since producing the smash hit Candida back in 2011. Regarded by many to be the second finest author in the English language, Shaw is well known for his wordsmithing and wit. His keen ear and ability to recreate the voices of those he encountered and brought to life on the page are without peer.

First performed in 1902, Mrs. Warren's Profession shows us the life of a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Kitty Warren, a former prostitute and current brothel madam, as she becomes acquainted with her grown daughter, Vivie, for the first time in her life. Vivie, a recent University of Cambridge graduate is horrified to learn what her mother does for her profession, and the audience sees how this realization changes the dynamic of their relationship and brings to light the role of professional women in the Western world.

"Shaw is a master when it comes to making us laugh while skewering the social conundrums that surrounded him - and still surround us to this day," says CTC Executive Artistic Director John Johnston. "This fabulously witty play discusses everything from the limited economic opportunities for women, to the roles women play in society, to the place of men in relation to women. All of these ideas are still at the forefront of the sociopolitical discussions today."

Groundbreaking in its day, this play will be directed by veteran Classical Theatre Company Resident Artistic Company member, Julia Traber - whose other directorial work for CTC includes Candida, The Triumph of Love, Miss Julie, and Henry V.