Breaking: MTC Plans to Bring LACKAWANNA BLUES and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE to Broadway in 2021-22 Season; Plus Premiere Simon Stephens' MORNING SUN

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) just announced plans for four Manhattan Theatre Club productions in the 2021-2022 season.

Lynne Meadow said, "With hopes high that we will be able to return to live theatre, we have created a season of diverse and exciting Broadway and off-Broadway Premieres and we are honored to be working with the very best of New York's brilliant artistic community. Our colleagues are anticipating with joy being back in our rehearsal rooms and back on our stages, playing to houses filled with devoted theatregoers. We all miss each other!"

Two additional productions will be announced at a later date.

Like the rest of the theatre community, Manhattan Theatre Club continues to closely follow the COVID-19 health and safety guidance of New York City and State. When conditions allow, everyone at MTC looks forward to safely having artists and audiences back in Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and at their off-Broadway home at New York City Center. In the meantime, MTC's Virtual Season continues online with theatrical experiences, initiatives, and events that audiences can enjoy without leaving their homes. Details can be found at www.manhattantheatreclub.com/virtual.

In the Fall of 2021, MTC plans to present the Broadway premiere of Lackawanna Blues, written, performed, and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (August Wilson's Jitney), with original music by Bill Sims Jr.

In the Spring of 2022, MTC plans to present the highly anticipated Broadway premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Written by Paula Vogel and directed by Mark Brokaw, the production, postponed from its original dates in 2020, will be led by the previously announced original cast members Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse, and Johanna Day who will be joined by Alyssa May Gold and Chris Myers.

Off-Broadway at New York City Center Stage (i), MTC plans to present the world premiere of Morning Sun, written by Simon Stephens (Heisenberg) and directed by Lila Neugebauer (The Waverly Gallery), starring Emmy Award winner Edie Falco (The House of Blue Leaves, The Madrid), Tony Award winner Blair Brown ("Orange is the New Black," Copenhagen), and Tony Award nominee Marin Ireland ("The Umbrella Academy," Reasons to Be Pretty) in the Fall of 2021. The American premiere of Golden Shield, written by Anchuli Felicia King (White Pearl) and directed by Obie Award winner Danya Taymor (Heroes of the Fourth Turning), is also planned for the 2021-2022 season with dates to be announced.

Exact performance dates for these four productions, as well as additional shows for the 2021-2022 season, will be announced at a later date.

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FALL 2021 ON BROADWAY AT THE Samuel J. Friedman THEATRE

Lackawanna Blues

Broadway Premiere
Written, Performed, and Directed by Tony Award Winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Original Music by Bill Sims Jr.

Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson returns to MTC for the Broadway debut of his brilliant solo play celebrating the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion and care. Giving a tour-de-force performance accompanied by live blues music, Santiago-Hudson embodies more than 20 vibrant characters, creating a richly textured reminiscence that's inspiring, uplifting and right at home on Broadway. The Los Angeles Times says it "enthralls" and adds, "Santiago-Hudson conjures multitudes with his rich memory and malleable voice."

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SPRING 2022 ON BROADWAY AT THE Samuel J. Friedman THEATRE

How I Learned to Drive

Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Broadway Premiere by Pulitzer Prize Winner Paula Vogel
Directed by Drama Desk Award Winner Mark Brokaw

Starring Tony Award Winner Mary-Louise Parker and Tony Award Nominee David Morse, with Tony Award Nominee Johanna Day, Alyssa May Gold, and Chris Myers

Produced with Daryl Roth and Cody Lassen in association with the Vineyard Theatre

The thrilling Broadway premiere of Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece How I Learned to Drive reunites the two original stars with their award-winning director for a new production. Tony Award® winner Mary-Louise Parker (Proof) and Tony nominee David Morse (The Iceman Cometh) head the cast of this remarkably timely and moving memory play about a woman coming to terms with a charismatic uncle who impacts her past, present and future life. Directing is Mark Brokaw (Heisenberg).

The creative team for How I Learned to Drive includes Rachel Hauck (scenic design), Dede Ayite (costume design), Mark McCullough (lighting design), David Van Tieghem (original music & sound design), Lucy Mackinnon (video design), Stephen Oremus (music direction & vocal arrangements), and Deborah Hecht (dialect coach).

How I Learned to Drive was originally produced by the Vineyard Theatre in 1997 and transferred to a commercial Off-Broadway production produced by Daryl Roth and Roy Gabay. It opened to critical acclaim and won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play; Outer Critics Circle Award; OBIE Awards for David Morse, Mary-Louise Parker, Mark Brokaw, and Paula Vogel; Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Play, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Lead Actor, and Outstanding Lead Actress; Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play; and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Actor in a Play and Outstanding Director of a Play.

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FALL 2021 MTC AT NEW YORK CITY CENTER - STAGE I

Morning Sun

World Premiere by Tony Award Winner Simon Stephens
Directed by Drama Desk Award Winner Lila Neugebauer
Starring Four-Time Emmy Award Winner Edie Falco, Tony Award Winner Blair Brown, and Tony Award Nominee Marin Ireland

Four-time Emmy Award® winner Edie Falco ("The Sopranos," Frankie and Johnny...), Tony Award winner® Blair Brown (Copenhagen, "Orange Is the New Black"), and Tony nominee Marin Ireland (Reasons to Be Pretty) form a powerhouse trio of stars in this deeply felt, gorgeously imagined new play by Tony winner Simon Stephens (Heisenberg, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). In Greenwich Village a generation or so ago, the city is alive. Joni Mitchell sings, friends and lovers come and go, and the regulars change at the White Horse Tavern. As 50 years pass, one woman's life is revealed in all its complexity, mystery and possibility in this enthralling world premiere about mothers and daughters, beginnings and endings in New York City. Directing is Lila Neugebauer (The Waverly Gallery).

Morning Sun was commissioned by MTC through the Bank of America New Play Program.

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2021-2022 SEASON MTC AT NEW YORK CITY CENTER - STAGE I

Golden Shield

American Premiere by Anchuli Felicia King
Directed by Obie Award Winner Danya Taymor

From international playwright Anchuli Felicia King comes a riveting new play about loyalties, intrigue and the delicate art of translation. When enterprising American lawyer Julie Chen files a class-action lawsuit involving a multinational technology corporation and the Chinese government, she hires her strong-minded sister Eva as her translator. But what compromises will they make in order to win? And can they put aside their past differences to speak the same language? Directing this fast-paced production is Obie Award winner Danya Taymor (Heroes of the Fourth Turning).

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MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB, under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over more than four decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including 7 Pulitzer Prizes, 27 Tony Awards, 40 Drama Desk Awards and 49 Obie Awards. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

Subscriptions to MTC's new season of plays are now available by calling Subscriber Services at 212-399-3030 or going to www.Manhattantheatreclub.com/subscribe.

Single ticket information for Lackawanna Blues, How I Learned to Drive, Morning Sun, and Golden Shield will be announced at a later date. Visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com for more information.