David Schwimmer, John Pollono & More Will Join MCC Theater for 2014 Playlab Reading Series

MCC THEATER has announced the 2014 PlayLabs reading series, which will feature new works in development by playwrights Stephen Belber, John Pollono, and Will Snider. "Friends" alum David Schwimmer, currently represented off-Broadway with his direction of the critically-acclaimed hit Sex with Strangers, is set to direct Belber's Shut Up When You Talk to Me. Pollono's Lost Girls will be directed by MCC alum Jo Bonney, who also directed MCC's hit production of Pollono's Small Engine Repair. Snider's How to Use a Knife will be helmed by Kareem Fahmy. Readings will be held on September 15th, September 29th, and October 6th, respectively, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). All readings are at 7pm. Full casting will be announced at a later date. Tickets are $10, which include the post-reading reception. For tickets and more info, please visit www.mcctheater.org.

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 finalist Adam Rapp and Tony Award nominee Stephen Adly Guirgis, among many others.

2014 PlayLabs Readings

LOST GIRLS
by John Pollono
directed by Jo Bonney
Monday, September 15 at 7pm

Lou and Maggie, divorced but now compelled to join forces when their daughter has stolen the car and disappeared into a blinding snowstorm, must confront their volatile past and come to terms with the bitter unravelling of a once promising romance. A story of deep resentment and great love by the writer of MCC's smash hit SMALL ENGINE REPAIR.

HOW TO USE A KNIFE
by Will Snider
directed by Kareem Fahmy
Monday, September 29 at 7pm

In the chaotic hustle and bustle of a popular restaurant kitchen, Steve is hiding in plain sight. An East African immigrant, he seems to be a humble yet dignified dishwasher, but Steve has a shocking past during the bloody Rwandan ethnic cleansing, and Immigration authorities are on his trail. Written by a young, exciting new talent, the play bursts with grinding suspense, energy and surprise.

SHUT UP WHEN YOU TALK TO ME
by Stephen Belber
directed by David Schwimmer
Monday, October 6 at 7pm

From celebrated writer Stephen Belber comes a new play about the journey of friends from idealistic, exciting, "brave new world" youth to wiser but definitely sadder middle age. Drifter Mack drops into Luke's circumscribed, boring and safe life, threatening to blow it all apart by alcoholic binges, infidelity, and family abandonment. How far can he make Luke go to recapture the fire of their younger years?

Photo by Walter McBride