MTC to Stage World Premiere of Penelope Skinner's THE RUINS OF CIVILIZATION

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) have announced Manhattan Theatre Club will produce the world premiere of The Ruins of Civilization, the new play by award-winning playwright Penelope Skinner (The Village Bike), directed by Obie Award winner Leah C. Gardiner (Born Bad). This world premiere will be presented in spring 2016 as part of MTC's The Studio at Stage II - Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series at New York City Center - Stage II (131 West 55th Street).

Sometime in the future, Dolores and Silver are living their married life within the constraints and norms of a new world order. In an act of what seems like pure generosity, Dolores secretly opens their home to a stranger in need; but will she come to regret it? Can her actions have an impact or is it just too late? A bold world premiere thriller, The Ruins of Civilization explores our need for free will and connection, even in a world on the brink of extinction. It's the latest work from Penelope Skinner, the award winning author of The Village Bike.

Casting, creative team, and additional listings information for The Ruins of Civilization will be announced in the coming weeks.

For additional details on The Ruins of Civilization and all MTC shows, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.

For more information and to sign up for MTC's "30 Under 30" program for theatergoers age 30 and under visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com/30under30/

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 the past four and a half decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including six Pulitzer Prizes and 19 Tony 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). Renowned MTC productions include Airline Highway by Lisa D'Amour; Casa Valentina by Harvey Fierstein; Outside Mullingar and Doubt by John Patrick Stanley; The Commons of Pensacola by Amanda Peet; Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash; Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney; The Assembled Parties by Richard Greenberg; Wit by Margaret Edson; Venus in Fur by David Ives; Good People and Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire; The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez; Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies; Ruined by Lynn Nottage; Proof by David Auburn; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch; Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally; The Piano Lesson by August Wilson; Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley; and Ain't Misbehavin', the Fats Waller musical to name just a few. For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

The Studio at Stage II is Manhattan Theatre Club's initiative at New York City Center - Stage II (131 West 55th Street). The initiative launched in 2012 with the sold out, critically acclaimed world premiere of Murder Ballad, the rock musical by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash and has continued with the critically acclaimed premieres of Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly, The Lion by Benjamin Scheuer, By The Water by Sharyn Rothstein, and Heisenberg by Simon Stephens. On Tuesday, November 10, the world premiere of Important Hats of the Twentieth Century, Nick Jones' new comedy, will begin previews as part of The Studio at Stage II's 2015-2016 season.

The Studio at Stage II has been partially underwritten with a major grant from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

Ticketing and performance schedule information for The Ruins of Civilization will be announced at a later date.

In order to ensure that tickets to all shows presented as part of The Studio at Stage II are affordable to the widest and most diverse audiences possible, MTC will price tickets for the first five weeks of The Ruins of Civilization at $30.