Stephen Schwartz's Jazzy AS YOU LIKE IT, Fiasco's TWELFTH NIGHT, Terrence McNally Premiere and More Slated for CSC's 50th Anniversary Season

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Doyle and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, today announced plans for the company's 50th Anniversary season beginning this fall.

Said John Doyle, "This season marks an extraordinary moment in our history: our 50th year of performances. Since 1967, CSC has engaged the most enthralling and challenging works of the world in an active examination of what makes a classic a classic. It is a pursuit that continues to captivate us. In this year of both looking back and looking ahead, we are delighted to present a season of three distinctive acts, which we hope will both enrich and broaden one's idea of the classic: Shakespeare, Americans, and Musical Theater."

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CSC's 50th Anniversary Season:

ACT I: SHAKESPEARE

AS YOU LIKE IT
By William Shakespeare
Directed by John Doyle
Original Music by Stephen Schwartz

September 2017

Artistic Director John Doyle and Tony Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz bring Shakespeare's pastoral romance into the Jazz Age.

Co-produced with Bay Street Theater

TWELFTH NIGHT
By William Shakespeare
Presented by Fiasco Theater

November 2017

New York's innovative Fiasco Theater brings their hallmark style and expansive imagination to one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies.

Presented by Fiasco Theater

ACT II: AMERICANS

FIRE AND AIR
A World Premiere
By Terrence McNally
Directed by John Doyle

January 2018

Terrence McNally's new play explores the rich history of the Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev's revolutionary ballet company, and the tempestuous relationship between Diaghilev and his lover-star dancer Vaslav Nijinsky.

SUMMER AND SMOKE
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Jack Cummings III

April 2018

Jack Cummings III directs this sultry Southern Gothic masterpiece about a local minister's daughter love for the neighborhood doctor in Tennessee Williams' long-overdue debut at CSC.

Co-produced with Transport Group Theatre Company

ACT III: MUSICAL THEATER

CARMEN JONES
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Georges Bizet
Directed by John Doyle

June 2018

John Doyle directs Oscar Hammerstein II's World War II setting of Bizet's opera CARMEN. Featuring an all African-American cast, this is the first major revival of the show since its debut on Broadway 75 years ago.

CSC will also present two productions for young audiences next season, with matinees available for school groups:

ACT YOUNG

THE STOWAWAY
Based on the plays of William Shakespeare
Written and Directed by Drew Petersen

November 2017

Ages 5+

Times are changing on the Island of Hockey Puck. A new Duke is ruling with an iron fist, the old Duke disappeared in a puddle of mystery, and a stowaway named Dull is on the run from it all back to her homeland of Illyria. Inspired by Shakespeare and shipwrecks, this world premiere by the acclaimed Trusty Sidekick Theater Company uses puppetry, live music, and a sea of imagination.

Presented by Trusty Sidekick Theater Company

JULIUS CAESAR
By William Shakespeare

March 2018

Ages 12+

A triumphant leader is welcomed homed from war with honors, but some wonder: has he been given too much power? Political alliances face off in Shakespeare's tragedy of democracy gone wrong in this sharp, energetic production specifically tailored for young audiences.

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CLASSIC STAGE COMPANY (CSC). CSC is committed to re-imagining classic stories for contemporary audiences. The company has been a home for New York's finest established and emerging artists to grapple with the great works of the world's repertory that speak directly to the issues of today. CSC serves an average of 35,000 audience members annually, including more than 4,000 students through its nationally recognized education programs. Productions have been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards including the Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work.

For further information on Classic Stage Company, call 212-677-4210, visit the theatre in person at 136 East 13th Street, or go to www.classicstage.org.