THE OTHER PLACE Hosts Sloan Panel Discussion Today

Manhattan Theatre Club announces the guests for the upcoming Sloan panel discussing Sharr White's The Other Place. The panel will focus on the role of science in the play and will feature novelist Stefan Merrill Block, author of The Story of Forgetting; playwright Sharr White; neuroscientist Heather Berlin; and genetic counselor Jill Goldman. The panel will be moderated by NPR's Robert Krulwich. The panel will follow the 2 PM matinee performance today, January 27 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has provided a grant to Manhattan Theatre Club to support the development of plays that address themes of math, science, and technology and that depict scientists, mathematicians, and engineers as major characters. The aim is to bridge the divide between the "two cultures," science and the arts.

In addition to providing a grant for commissioning engaging plays with science and technology themes and characters, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has provided production support for MTC's Broadway production of Sharr White's The Other Place, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello. This season, the Sloan Foundation also provided production support for MTC's recent Broadway production of Sloan-commissioned writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz's adaptation of An Enemy of the People directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes.

MTC first collaborated with the Sloan Foundation in 2000 with the production of David Auburn's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Proof. MTC's partnership with the Sloan Foundation has expanded to include multiple annual commissions for emerging, mid-level, and established writers as well as a production grant to stage Sloan-related works. In addition to Proof, Sloan supported MTC's production of Charlotte Jones' Humble Boy in 2003.

Since partnering with the Sloan Foundation, MTC has commissioned a total of 40 writers: Stephen Belber, Glen Berger, April De Angelis, Lisa D'Amour, Charles Evered, Melissa James Gibson, Daniel Goldfarb, Rinne Groff, Sam Hunter, Ron Hutchinson, Nick Jones, Lucy Kirkwood, Bryony Lavery, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Kenneth Lin, Craig Lucas, Michael Mitnick, Peter Morris, Hannah Moscovitch, Itamar Moses, Rona Munro, Brett Neveu, Nick Payne, HAnnie Rayson, Melissa Ross, Heidi Schreck, Mark Schultz, Eric Simonson, Dava Sobel, Simon Stephens, Shelagh Stephenson, Sarah Treem, Catherine Trieschmann, John Walch, Anne Washburn, Jason Wells, Michael West, Bess Wohl, Beau Willimon, and Anna Ziegler.

The Other Place, which was recently extended at MTC through Sunday, March 3, stars Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne," November), Daniel Stern ("The Wonder Years," Diner), Zoe Perry (Broadway debut), and John Schiappa (Assassins, Take Me Out).

Metcalf gives a "dazzling, must-be-seen performance" (Variety) as Juliana Smithton, a successful neurologist whose life seems to be coming unhinged. Her husband has filed for divorce, her daughter has eloped with a much older man and her own health is in jeopardy. But in this brilliantly crafted work, nothing is as it seems. Piece by piece, a mystery unfolds as fact blurs with fiction, past collides with present and the elusive truth about Juliana boils to the surface.

The Other Place had its world premiere at MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director), opening on March 28, 2011 where it extended due to popular demand. The Other Place was nominated for two Outer Critics Circle Awards, a Drama League Award, and three Lucille Lortel Awards. Metcalf won an Obie Award and a Lucille Lortel Award for her performance in the production.

The creative team for the production includes Eugene Lee & Edward Pierce (scenic design), David Zinn (costume design), Justin Townsend (lighting design), Fitz Patton (original music, sound design), William Cusick (projection design), Caparelliotis Casting (casting), and Telsey + Company (casting).

Production support provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of the MTC/Sloan Science Theatre Initiative. Additional support for The Other Place is provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation. For more information on the foundation, visit: www.sloan.org.

Tickets for The Other Place are available by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200, online by visiting www.Telecharge.com, or by visiting the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Box Office (261 West 47th Street). Ticket prices are $67 - $131.