Classical Theatre Company Presents THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES By Arthur Conan Doyle

Classical Theatre Company returns to the great Arthur Conan Doyle for the first time since the 2014-15 season's smash hit, The Speckled Band: An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes. Engaged to reprise their roles as the detective and Dr. Watson are CTC Executive Artistic Director John Johnston and CTC company artist Andrew Love. "I've been in many plays over my career, but I've never had the chance to play the same character in different plays," says Love. "I'm really looking forward to this challenge."

Timothy N. Evers will be adapting a few of Doyle's short stories into one cohesive piece of theatre - built around The Adventure of The Greek Interpreter and The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton. "Timothy adapted our previous Holmes play and we're over the moon to have him working on this production too," says Johnston. "His talent with and passion for the material make him perfectly suited for this script. One of the several things that will set this production apart from other Holmes plays is that we're really making this a story about and for Dr. Watson. He's the narrator in almost all of the Holmes stories, and too often that gets forgotten when it comes to these stories being portrayed. He's not a bumbling buffoon, he's a doctor and a war hero. Our goal will be to give him this play."

This brand-new adaptation will be directed by CTC veteran Melissa Flower, who will be helming a CTC production for the first time after assisting on The Ghost Sonata, A Doll's House, and last season's Mrs. Warren's Profession. "I'm always excited to experiment with a piece of drama, and the high level of theatricality which our approach will have is going to allow for that," says Flower. "I think it's also important to remember that Sherlock Holmes stories are not Agatha Christie whodunit-style tales. They aren't mysteries, they're adventures. Very often the villain is identified right from the top. It's about unraveling the story of how Holmes and Watson pin the crime on the culprit."

The CTC's previous run with Holmes is still the company's best-selling production, having garnered high praise from audiences and critics alike. Typically a director for the company, Johnston has previously appeared on the CTC stage as Holmes in The Speckled Band: An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes (2015), and as Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest (2014).

Winner of the American Theatre Wing's prestigious National Theatre Company Grant Award in 2016, the Classical Theatre Company is dedicated to boldly re-envisioning classical drama on the stage, in the community, and in the classroom through engaging and enlightening plays - bringing them new life and relevance while maintaining the integrity that the works deserve.

For more information on this production or the Classical Theatre Company, or to arrange interviews with director Melissa Flower and actors participating in The Return of Sherlock Holmes please email Executive Artistic Director John Johnston at johnj@classicaltheatre.org.

This production is generously sponsored by Eversheds-Sutherland, LLP. and The Heard Institute.

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