SUMMER, 1976 Starring Laura Linney & Jessica Hecht Begins Previews Tomorrow

Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of Summer, 1976 begins previews tomorrow at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).

Starring Tony Award & Academy Award® nominee Laura Linney (My Name is Lucy Barton, "Ozark") and Tony Award & Emmy Award® nominee Jessica Hecht (The Assembled Parties, "Friends"), written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn (Proof, The Columnist), and directed by Tony Award® winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes), Summer, 1976 will open officially on Tuesday, April 25.

Four-time Emmy Award winner & Academy Award nominee Laura Linney (My Name Is Lucy Barton, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes) and Tony nominee Jessica Hecht (The Assembled Parties) return to Broadway in a new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and fellow MTC alum David Auburn (Proof, The Columnist). This deeply moving, insightful piece is about connection, memories, and the small moments that can change the course of our lives. Over one fateful summer, an unlikely friendship develops between Diana (Linney), a fiercely iconoclastic artist and single mom, and Alice (Hecht), a free-spirited yet naive young housewife. As the Bicentennial is celebrated across the country, these two young women in Ohio navigate motherhood, ambition, and intimacy, and help each other discover their own independence. Directing is Tony winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes).

The creative team for Summer, 1976 includes John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Linda Cho (costume design), Japhy Weideman (lighting design), Jill BC Du Boff (sound design), Hana S. Kim (projection design), Greg Pliska (original music), Caparelliotis Casting & Kelly Gillespie (casting), James FitzSimmons (production stage manager), and Katie Ailinger (stage manager).

Manhattan Theatre Club is offering audiences and the general public free Beyond the Stage content, which is designed to enrich audiences' experience with Summer, 1976 and to allow those not able to see the production a way to connect with the show. A podcast episode featuring a discussion between award-winning designer Linda Cho (costume) and long-time MTC collaborator John Lee Beatty (scenic) and a playlist inspired by the show and curated by playwright David Auburn, can be found on MTC's website at www.MTCBeyondtheStage.com.

The 2022-23 season marks Lynne Meadow's 50th Anniversary as Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club. Meadow was joined by Executive Producer Barry Grove in her third season, and together they have helmed MTC for 48 years. MTC's mission, which Meadow created in 1972 and has implemented since, is to develop and present new work in a dynamic, supportive environment; to identify and collaborate with the most exciting new as well as accomplished artists; and to produce a diverse repertoire of innovative, entertaining, and thought-provoking plays and musicals by American and international playwrights.

Over five decades, MTC has grown from a small off-off-Broadway showcase into one of the country's most prestigious and award-winning theatre companies, creating approximately 600 world, American, New York and Broadway premieres. Their productions have earned 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 28 Tony Awards, 50 Drama Desk Awards and 49 Obie Awards amongst many other honors. Their Broadway home is the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and their two Off-Broadway theatres are at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). MTC is an anti-racist organization that respects and honors all voices, and upholds the values of community and equity.

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