Neil Labute & More Added to MCC Theater's Playlabs Reading Series

By: Aug. 13, 2015
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MCC THEATER has announced the 2015 PlayLabs reading series, which will feature new works in development by playwrights MCC Playwright in Residence Neil LaBute, MCC Theater Youth Company alum Ren Dara Santiago, and rising playwright Stephen Brown. Readings will be held on September 21st, September 28th, and October 5th, as shown below, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). All readings are at 7pm. Full casting will be announced at a later date. Tickets on-sale now are $15, which include the post-reading reception. For tickets and more info, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

Co-Artistic Director Will Cantler said in a statement: "Each year PlayLabs brings another fresh set of voices to the MCC family. We're thrilled that this year's series will give our audiences the first look at the next, undoubtedly provocative Neil LaBute play, as well as shine a spotlight on two emerging talents: Ren Dara Santiago, a hyper-talented young playwright and New York City native mentored through the MCC Youth Company; and Stephen Brown, who we've had our eye on for several years as he continues to establish himself as one of New York's most exciting new voices."

Please note: Last year's PlayLabs featured a reading of John Pollono's play Lost Girls directed by Jo Bonney which was recently announced for a full production as part of MCC's 2015-16 Season.

MCC's PlayLabs provides audiences with: a rare first look at brand new plays by a group of notable emerging playwrights; the opportunity to participate in post-show conversations that aid in the development of the work; and a meet-n-greet wine reception with actors and the creative team following all activities. PlayLabs works often have later life through full-scale productions at MCC and other renowned theaters regionally across the U.S., in New York, and internationally. Among plays first read publicly in MCC's PlayLabs are works by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis, Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp, and Stephen Belber, among many others.

2015 PlayLabs Readings____________________________________________

THE SIBLINGS PLAY

by Ren Dara Santiago

Directed by Daniel Talbott

September 21st at 7pm

Virtually abandoned by neglectful parents, young Marie, Leon, and Mars struggle on their own to create a new family. Love and mutual support come easy, but the threatening world outside the supposed safety of this arrangement comes crashing in, creating unexpected and frightening conflicts they seem too vulnerable to overcome.

HOW TO FIGHT LONELINESS

by Neil LaBute

Directed by Jo Bonney

September 28th at 7pm

Brad and Jodie need Tate to do them a favor. Brad is married to Jodie. Jodie went to school with Tate. Tate doesn't trust Brad. What follows is an exploration of love and death in an age where both come at a very high price. After all: whose life is it anyway?

WELCOME HOME

by Stephen Brown

Directed by TBA

October 5th at 7pm

Tommy's older brother has disappeared without a trace. In this touching and gentle comedy, a mother and her remaining son have to deal with their painful feelings of guilt and apprehension, buoyed up by the unexpected and richly humorous support of their quirky newly adopted family, including an amateur psychologist and an over-caffeinated and lonely young barrista.

The previously announced 2015-16 MCC Theater Main Stage Season will feature: the New York premiere of Matthew Lopez's new play, The Legend of Georgia McBride, directed by Mike Donahue (August 20 - October 4, 2015); the New York premiere of Lost Girls, a new play by John Pollono, the playwright of the MCC's Small Engine Repair here reunited with director Jo Bonney (October 22 - November 29, 2015); the New York premiere of Noah Haidle's Smokefall directed by Anne Kauffman, who recently directed MCC's The Nether (February 3 - March 13, 2016); and the world premiere of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynelogic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York, the latest work by playwright Halley Feiffer and directed by Punk Rock Obie Award winner Trip Cullman (May 19 - June 25, 2016).

MCC Theater - founded in 1986 as Manhattan Class Company - is driven by a mission to provoke conversations that have never happened and otherwise never would. Led by Artistic Directors Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, and Executive Director Blake West, MCC fulfills its mission by producing new work that challenges artists and rewards audiences, and by nurturing the development of playwrights and students through a variety of literary and education programs that enable nearly 1,200 New York City high school students to find - and use - their own unique voice each year through the creation and performance of original theater pieces. MCC currently produces its annual season at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street) and will open its own two-theater complex on West 52nd Street and 10th Avenue in 2017. Notable productions include the recent hit Hand to God, which is currently having a celebrated run on Broadway; The Nether; the Obie-winning Punk Rock; Small Engine Repair; The Village Bike; The Other Place; Really Really; The Submission, winner of the inaugural Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award for new American plays; The Pride; Fifty Words; Nixon's Nixon; The Grey Zone; the Tony Award-winning Frozen; the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit; the re-imagined production of the musical Carrie; and eight plays by Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute, including Fat Pig, Reasons to Be Pretty and Reasons to Be Happy.

MCC Theater Youth Company - a free program that gives New York City high school students a platform for creative self-expression within a challenging and supportive environment. Young people from all five boroughs participate in weekly workshops led by professional theater artists where students are empowered to experiment, make bold choices, and take risks while creating their own original work and preparing for public performances. Each program year, members see MCC productions, engage with artists, and have access to other cultural experiences throughout the city. Members are also mentored through both college and job application processes, and are encouraged to give back to their communities through the arts and service.

Photo by Walter McBride



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