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The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) is an award-winning off-broadway professional theatre company founded in 1999 at the Harlem School for the Arts. Producing on average 2-3 productions a year as well as implementing extensive educational programming, CTH remains the only year round theatre company operating on an AEA LORT contract in Harlem. Its season selections and present a world repertory ranging from Euripides to Derek Walcott, featuring classical, American, and new emerging playwrights. Since its founding, the CTH has put on over 40 productions, including Dutchman Waiting for Godot, Macbeth, Detroit '67", The Blacks: A Clown Show, Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream and various others for which the company has received numerous AUDELCO, OBIE, Drama Desk, American Theatre Wing and Lucille Lortell nominations and awards.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation that strives to provide areas of representation and opportunity for artists of color working in the classical cannon. Their extremely diverse casting is known for allowing actors of color the opportunity to play leading roles in a classical play. Through original adaptations of plays, music, dance, and non-traditional casting, CTH reinterprets much of the classical theatre canon to suit a more inclusive audience.

Mission
To maintain a professional theatre company dedicated to presenting the “classics” on the stages of Harlem; To create employment and educational outreach opportunities in the theatre arts for the Harlem community; To create and nurture a new, young, and culturally diverse audience for the “classics”; To seek out socially and politically challenging topics while encouraging social action; and To heighten the awareness of theater and of great art in Harlem

With a strong focus on community engagement and outreach, The Classical Theatre of Harlem provides many educational resources to those who are financially inaccessible. Through their growing number of organizations, CTH benefits 18,000 New Yorkers annually with a strong presence and influence in Harlem.

History
The Classical Theatre of Harlem was founded in 1999 by theatre directors Alfred Preisser and Christopher McElroen at The Harlem School of the Arts where Alfred served as the director of the Theatre Division until 2007. Both men directed the majority of shows produced at The Classical Theatre of Harlem during their time of leadership with the exception of Funnyhouse of a Negro, directed by Billie Allen, and Ma Rainey s Black Bottom, directed by Arthur French. Preisser served as artistic director and McElroen as executive director for ten years before simultaneously stepping down in early November of 2009. Towards the end of their management, the company struggled significantly due to financial mismanagement and near bankruptcy, but fortunately made a comeback under the new African American administration.

Ty Jones has worked at The Classical Theatre of Harlem as an actor and artistic collaborator since 2003 before taking over as producing artistic director in 2009. Ty was able to erase the companies $400,000 debt during the time of the 2009 recession. Under new leadership, CTH has not only become economically and administratively secure, but many new collaboration and educational programs have been created as a resource for the neighborhood of Harlem and beyond. These programs range from a literary series that promotes playwrights of color, to large matinee holidays shows produced for school children in New York. Since this change in management, CTH has become well-known as a Black theatre, celebrating the work and talents of African American theatre-makers at the performance and production level.

In 2018, CTH partnered with Columbia University in a community program featuring Columbia's MFA third-year Acting students. These students form 'The Young Company' who provides educational shows to larger groups of children, around 467 students as of 2019 with nearly 70% of them reporting positive experiences after the production. As of 2019, The Classical Theatre of Harlem has celebrated it's 20th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance.

Educational Programming
The Classical Theatre of Harlem provides three educational and skill building programs on top of their general programming.

The "Playwrights Playground" program allows emerging and unrepresented playwrights to take part in a cold reading series that will help promote their work.

A "Future Classics" program aids in the development of new plays that may be of future significance, allowing the playwrights to share their piece with an audience and gather feedback, which is critical to their growth process.

Lastly, "Project Classics" is a free theatre arts educational training program for students ages 8-18 in partnership with the Dream Center NYC.

Awards and Nominations
The Classical Theatre of Harlem holds 61 AUDELCO nominations and has won 18 awards for excellence in Black theatre. Many of their other accomplishments include:


 * 2 Lucille Lortel Awards
 * 5 OBIE Awards
 * 2004 Drama Desk Award for Artistic Excellence 2004 Drama Desk nomination for Best Actress
 * 2005 Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Musical Revival
 * Trojan Women 2004 Edwin Booth Award for Artistic Excellence
 * 2008 American Theater Wing Ward
 * CTH named "1 of 8 Theatres to Watch in America" by The Drama League

In 2010, CTH received a National Endowment for the Arts for the development of Radha Blank's Seed.