MCC Announces Line-Up for FreshPlay Festival

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced programming for the MCC Theater Youth Company's fourth annual FreshPlay Festival, which is set to take place at Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street) August 6-9, 2008.  Under the artistic direction of Lucy Thurber and Stephen DiMenna, the FreshPlay Festival is an evening of original one act plays penned by New York City teens and produced for the stage by a roster of professional directors, actors and designers.  FPF merges the voices and creativity of urban youth with the experience of professionals in an evening of provocative, innovative and fresh theater.
 
The MCC Theater Youth Company is a free after-school program for New York City public school students, ages 14-20, who are interested in acting and playwriting.  The Youth Company is designed to inspire young people to find and express their voices through the creation and performance of original theater pieces, while providing them with a safe artistic environment where they may grow and learn.
 
2008 FreshPlay Festival Offerings

August 6 & 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Mad Comfortable
By Hans Nielsen Age 18, Satellite Academy
Directed by Jackson Gay
In an often unfair world, Jamie and his friends manage to remain the one thing nobody else can be: happy.  The city blooms in one teenager's whimsical journey through adolescence.

Tattle Tell
By Julia Torres Age 19, New Design High School
Directed by Maria Goyanes
There's the world you love, and there's the one you leave behind.  In this brutally honest family play, one young girl learns that the things that scare her may set her free.

 
August 7 & 9 at 7:00 p.m.

The Naked Hour
By Pedro Guerrero Age 19, Marble Hill High School
Directed by Chad Rabinovitz
Do we really know anything for certain?  Or do we just pretend to?  Religion and skepticism collide in this comedic morality tale.

POOF
By Apple Vargas Age 19, High School of Fashion Industries
Directed by Donya Washington
Adam is only sure of one thing: he knows everything.  The mind is a playground and a prison in this fiercely original play.

The FreshPlay Festival features set design by Joel Sherry, costumes by Arnulfo Maldonado, lighting design by Peter Hoerburger and sound design by Isaac Butler.

For tickets, call (212) 727-7722 ext. 228.  There is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students.  For more information, visit www.mcctheater.org.
 
MCC Theater is one of New York City's leading Off Broadway theater companies, committed to presenting New York and world premieres each season.  When MCC Theater was founded in 1986, its mission was simple: to bring new theatrical voices to theater-going audiences.  MCC Theater continues to accomplish this yearly through presentation of its mainstage works; its Literary Program, which actively seeks and develops new and emerging writers and its Education & Outreach Program, allowing more than 1,200 students yearly to experience theater, increase literacy and discover their own voices in the arts.  Notable MCC Theater highlights include: their 2008 Broadway-bound production of Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty (to open at a theatre to be announced in February, 2009), the 2004 Tony-winning production of Bryony Lavery's Frozen; Neil LaBute's Fat Pig; Rebecca Gilman's The Glory of Living; Marsha Norman's Trudy Blue; Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit; Tim Blake Nelson's The Grey Zone and Alan Bowne's Beirut.  Over the years, the dedication to the work of new and emerging artists has earned MCC Theater a variety of awards.  For a complete production history, visit www.mcctheater.org.

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