Old Courthouse Theatre’s 50^th Golden Season has seen fantastic success with its first three shows of 2025-2026. Faster than anyone thought it would happen, the fourth show is ready to hit the stage: Tennessee William’s 1947 award-winning drama, A Streetcar Named Desire.

This highly-acclaimed play, set in New Orleans’ French Quarter, is known for its raw, honest portrayal of life in the post-World War II American south. As the title suggests, it explores the theme of desire, as well as the clash between classes and the fragility of beauty and one’s mental health. It also tackles the tricky balancing act that swings between illusion and reality.

When the play premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, the play became an instant hit, not only because of its powerful script but also due to its all-star cast. The cast included Jessica Tandy as the fragile and delusional Blanche DuBois, Marlon Brando as the masochistic and remorseless Stanley Kowalski, Kim Hunter as the nurturing and passive Stella Kowalski, and Karl Malden as the sensitive Harold “Mitch” Mitchell.

Brando, Hunter, and Malden, among other cast members, would go on to reprise their roles four years later when the play was adapted for the big screen in 1951. Vivien Leigh would tackle the role of Blanche. Elia Kazan, who directed the stage version, also returned in the same capacity for the film version.

A Streetcar Named Desire won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tandy received the Tony Award that same year for Best Actress in a Play. Three of the actors received Academy Awards (in 1952) for their roles in the movie adaption: Vivien Leigh for Best Leading Actress, Kim Hunter for Best Supporting Actress, and Karl Malden for Best Supporting Actor.

When OCT opens its production of A Streetcar Named Desire on Thursday, February 12, 2025 at 7:30 p.m., Julia Howard (last seen on the OCT stage last year in Post Mortem Player’s The Crucible as Abigail Williams) will take on the role of Blanche DuBois, while Matthew Ensley and Sophie Newman star opposite her as Stanley and Stella Kowalski.

Joining Howard, Ensley, and Newman on stage will be Lauren Newell (as Eunice Hubbell), Aaron Zimmerman (Steven Hubbell), Andrew Williams (as Harold “Mitch” Mitchell), Faraz Hamraz (as the Young Collector), Jacob Brayton (as Pablo), Will Baysinger (as the Doctor), and Meri Anne Flagg (as the Nurse).

The show is directed by Stuart Jonap, who last directed Arsenic and Old Lace in 2024 at OCT.

Curtains for A Streetcar Named Desire go up at 7:30 p.m. on February 12-14 and February 20-21, and at 2:30 p.m. on February 15 and 22 on the OCT main stage. Tickets can be purchased at www.octconcord.com, by calling the box at 704-788-2405, or at the door.

OCT’s Golden Anniversary season opened last August with Larry Shue’s The Foreigner, followed by the Stephen Sondheim favorite Company in October, and ended 2025 with Michael Paller’s unique adaption of the classic Christmas tale, A Christmas Carol. The 2025-2026 season ends on a literal high note with Kiss Me, Kate, running from April 30 through May 10, 2026.

Other chances to catch great theatre at the OCT over the next couple of months include the two Black Box Series productions of Driving Miss Daisy (February 26-March 1) and If All the Sky Were Paper (May 14-17), the OCT NextGen’s Shrek, Jr. on the mainstage (March 19-29), OCT’s annual 10-Minute Play Festival in the Wilson Family Black Box (June 4-7), and Post Mortem Player’s X on the mainstage (June 18-28). OCT also continues to host the Living Room Reading Series on the first Sunday of the month and Papa Capp’s Variety Shows on the first Tuesdays of the month.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us through our website, social media, or phone.

As always, we hope to see you at the theatre!