Today we’d like to introduce you to John Johnston. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The Classical Theatre Company was born in late 2006 when, inspired by a casual conversation about Houston theatre at a Christmas party, theatre professional John Johnston came to the conclusion that there was a distinct niche to fill in the local community. Recognizing the unwavering popularity of classical drama both regionally and worldwide, as well as the noticeable lack of year-round classical theatre in the Bayou City, he began traveling down the path that laid itself before him.
For its 2008-2009 inaugural season, CTC audiences enjoyed two very successful productions and a full three-installment reading series, highlighted by a reading of Benedictus and the inaugural production, Shylock, the Jew of Venice, an adaptation from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Following up its achievements the next season with a bold one-man adaptation of Hamlet as well as the smash hit production of Moliere’s Tartuffe, CTC continued to garner high praise from its audiences and critics alike.
In a landmark 2010-2011 third season, CTC added a third full production to its Mainstage including a co-production with the Prague Shakespeare Festival of As You Like It and King Lear. These Shakespearean classics combined local Houston and European artists with runs of the shows both in Houston and in Prague to rave reviews in each venue.
In the fall of 2014, after producing in eight different venues through its first six seasons, CTC moved into its own facility in Chelsea Market, where it produced all three of its Mainstage productions. This marked a turning point in the company’s life as it now had a permanent home from which to coordinate all of its programming and operations.
Using the clear need for the CTC’s services as well as its dynamic artists as its engine, the company has been able to garner support in many vital areas necessary to the successful achievement of its mission. As this support continues to build, we at the Classical Theatre Company look forward to making the future of classical drama as bright as its past.
In 2016 CTC was honored to be one of only seven companies in the country to be first-time recipients of the prestigious National Theatre Company Grant Award presented by the American Theatre Wing (the organization that runs the Tony Awards).
2019 saw the Classical Theatre Company move from Chelsea Market after it was sold and demolished. It subsequently and proudly moved into the iconic DeLuxe Theater in the historic Fifth Ward.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s never an easy row to hoe when you’re a nonprofit. On top of all the typical struggles, we’ve faced two hurricanes, a financial crisis, as well as the ongoing pandemic in our 14 years. It’s always a challenge to find funding, but one of the not-directly financial difficulties has been finding a permanent home. Our audiences have followed us over the years, but our ultimate goal of finding a permanent facility is our long-term goal.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m trained as an actor and director. My undergraduate degree from Boston College is in Theater Arts and my graduate degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. is in Acting. My graduate program had a strong emphasis on the classics, and as such, that is one of my areas of expertise. I saw a need for a year-round professional classical theatre in the cultural landscape of Houston, and set about founding Classical Theatre Company in 2006. CTC is the only year-round classical theatre in the State of Texas, unique even to the region. My proudest moment as the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Classical Theatre Company was in 2016 when CTC was one of only seven companies in the country to win the American Theatre Wing’s National Theatre Company Grant Award.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the people of Houston. Our community is so wonderfully diverse and friendly. They are the greatest asset that Houston has to offer. My least favorite thing about Houston is the weather. I’m a fellow who likes cold weather, so I miss the winters of the Northeast.
Contact Info:
- Email: johnj@classicaltheatre.org
- Website: www.classicaltheatre.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctchouston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/classicaltheatrecompany/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CTCHouston
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ctchouston
Image Credits
Pin Lim
Jeff McMorrough
W. Ross Wells
