CSC's 42nd season will present 'The Age of Iron,' 'Venus in Fur' and 'The Forest'

For its 42nd season, the Classic Stage Company presents three productions, The Age of Iron, adapted by Brian Kulick from William Shakespeare's 'Troilus & Cressida' and Thomas Heywood's 'Iron Age,' Venus in Fur by David Ives and The Forest by Alexander Ostrovsky, adapted by Kathleen Tolan and starring Dianne Wiest.

The season will open in November with The Age of Iron, an epic retelling of the Trojan War, drawn from the works of two Elizabethan playwrights, which takes us from the rape of Helen to the sack of Troy.

At the center is Shakespeare's 'Troilus & Cressida,' bookended by Thomas Heywood�s 'Iron Age,' expanding the play�s reach to encompass the full breadth of the Trojan War.

Taken together, these two authors create an Elizabethan Iliad that brings Homer's long lost world to life.

Adapted and directed by Brian Kulick, The Age of Iron will be performed from 4 Nov - 13 Dec 2009.

In January, from playwright David Ives and director Walter Bobbie, the creative team behind CSC's critically acclaimed production of 'New Jerusalem,' comes Venus in Fur, a new play based on one of literature�s most infamous erotic novels.

Venus in Fur goes behind the scenes to an audition for a play in which the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, and love and hate blur.

Venus in Fur will be performed from 13 Jan - 21 Feb 2010.

The final main stage production for the season brings Academy Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest back to CSC in Alexander Ostrovsky�s The Forest, adapted by Kathleen Tolan.

Wiest will star in this romantic romp, where the most dangerous creatures in the forest are two vagabond actors who crash a nearby estate posing as gentry. Love, lies and laughter ensue as they turn this otherwise orderly manor upside down.

The Forest will be performed from 14 Apr through to 23 May 2010.

The 2009-2010 season will also include the company�s popular First Look Festival. This year First Look turns its gaze to Pirandello, featuring John Turturro in a series of staged readings of 'Henry IV,' among other plays. First Look runs 16, 23, 30 Nov & 7 Dec 2009.

The new season will also mark the return of CSC�s popular Open Rehearsal Series, in which audiences experience different acting approaches and directorial interpretations of a classic work. This season CSC will feature Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin, who starred in CSC�s production of Shakespeare�s 'The Tempest' last season, as well as a cast of seasoned actors, exploring Shakespeare�s 'Much Ado About Nothing' on successive Monday evenings. Open Rehearsal runs 18, 25 Jan, 1 & 8 Feb 2010.

CSC will also continue its new Books On Stage Series, which launched last season with their sold out readings in 'The Proust Project.' This season they will tackle Leo Tolstoy�s 'War and Peace,' and 'Anna Karenina,' on 16 Apr, 3 & 10 May 2010.

CSC will also reunite with the Graduate Acting Program of the Columbia University School of the Arts for the fifth year of The Young Company, CSC�S Education and Outreach initiative that impacts the lives of thousands of young audience members throughout the five boroughs. This season The Young Company will present Shakespeare�s 'Twelfth Night,' directed by Tony Speciale, CSC Associate Artistic Director, from 22 Feb - 5 Mar 2010.