MCC Playlabs Announce Readings from David Zheng and Zoe Lister-Jones

MCC Theater announced today the line-up for their Spring 2019 PlayLabs readings of new plays to be held at the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space (511 West 52ndStreet): David Zheng's Ching Chong Maka Hiya, directed by Zhailon Levingston, on Monday, April 29 at 7:00pm; and Zoe Lister-Jones' Band Aid, directed by Leigh Silverman, on Monday, May 20 at 7:00pm. Tickets, priced at $15 with no fees, are available via www.mcctheater.org.

The PlayLabs reading series invites audiences to engage directly with playwrights as they develop new works for the theater. Each reading includes a post-show reception with wine and snacks, offering a chance to discuss the work and mingle with the playwrights, actors, MCC leadership, and other audience members.

Up next at MCC Theater's 2019-20 inaugural season at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space are Aziza Barnes' BLKS directed by Robert O'Hara, which began performances at the Newman Mills Theater on Tuesday, April 23, ahead of a Thursday, May 9 opening night; and Halley Feiffer's Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow directed by Trip Cullman, which begins performances at the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater on Wednesday, June 26, ahead of a Thursday, July 18 opening night.

See below for full details on the PlayLabs Readings:

Monday, April 29 at 7:00pm

Ching Chong Maka Hiya
By David Zheng
Directed by Zhailon Levingston

It's no longer a game of cops and robbers when Jeremy, a Chinese boy from the Bronx, finds himself in jail under the supervision of the facility's newest correctional officers-his close childhood friends. From the sandbox to behind bars, this group of young adults struggle to find a better life within a system built on racism and power. A new play by David Zheng (MCC Youth Company Alum) that explores a broken system within American society and imagines what tomorrow might look like if the roles were reversed.

Monday, May 20 at 7:00pm

Band Aid
By Zoe Lister-Jones
Directed by Leigh Silverman

Music by Zoe Lister-Jones and Kyle Forester

Musical Arrangements and Additional Music by Zoe Sarnak

Entangled in constant bickering, Anna and Ben find that the solution to their fractured marriage lies beyond clichéd couples therapy. The struggling Los Angeles artists decide to turn their fights into songs. Zoe Lister-Jones' hot new dramedy reimagines the meaning of love through the sounds of an impromptu garage band as the couple tries to make sense of it all.

For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos