MCC '06-'07 Season to Include Premiere of LaBute Play

MCC Theater announced today that its 2006-07 mainstage season at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.) will include the 10th anniversary production of MCC's acclaimed Nixon's Nixon--reuniting playwright Russell Lees, director Jim Simpson with actors Gerry Bamman and Steve Mellor--and a world premiere by Neil LaBute, recently named MCC playwright-in-residence. In addition, there will be a play to be announced.

The MCC 2006-07 season will open with Lees' two-character political satire, Nixon's Nixon, directed by Jim Simpson with Gerry Bamman and Steve Mellor in the roles they originated for MCC 10 years ago. Nixon's Nixon begins performances on September 20, 2006 and runs through October 28. The opening night is set for Wednesday, October 4.

"Historical Fact: The night before President Richard M. Nixon announced his resignation, he summoned Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger to the White House. Nixon's Nixon imagines the conversation of a secret meeting between Nixon (Bamman) and Kissinger (Mellor) in the Lincoln Sitting Room that very night (August 7, 1974 at 10pm). Performed without an intermission, these two larger-than-life characters spend the evening wrestling with history as they try to manipulate each other, re-enact scenes of their political triumphs and ultimately, devise a dizzying and doomed plot to keep Nixon in office," state press notes.

The design team for Nixon's Nixon includes: Kyle Chapulis (scenic & lighting design), Claudia Brown (costume design) and Jill DuBoff (sound design).

Rounding out the MCC 06-07 season will be the world premiere of Neil LaBute's In a Dark, Dark House, a drama about a man and his complicated relationship with a complicated father. The play begins performances on May 16, running through June 23. Opening night is June 7, 2007. Its director and casting will be announced.

The second play of MCC's 06-07 season will be announced soon. The production will preview in late January 2007 and is slated to open on February 14.

MCC is currently presenting Some Girl(s), written by LaBute and directed by Jo Bonney, with Fran Drescher, Eric McCormack, Judy Reyes, Brooke Smith and Maura Tierney, in a limited engagement through July 8 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

MCC Theater began its 20th anniversary 3-play 2005-06 season at the Lucille Lortel Theatre with Laura Wade's Colder Than Here, followed by Glen Berger's The Wooden Breeks. MCC reunites Neil LaBute and Bonney on the US premiere of Some Girl(s). This staging marks the fifth LaBute work produced by MCC following The Mercy Seat, The Distance From Here, Fat Pig and a one-night benefit evening of LaBute one-act plays, collectively titled Autobahn.

"Now in its 20th year, 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 and 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: 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."

MCC 3-show season subscriptions may be purchased for a special rate of $110 until June 25, through Ticket Central.com (212-279-4200). After June 25, season subscriptions are regularly priced at $120. Single tickets for individual MCC productions may also be purchased through Ticket Central, once on-sale dates are announced to the general public. For more information, visit online at MCCTheater.org.