MCC Theater Youth Company to Present UNCENSORED and FRESHPLAY FESTIVAL

MCC Theater has revealed details for their end-of-season Youth Company performances, UNCENSORED and FRESHPLAY FESTIVAL.

All performances will take place in The Susan and Ronald Frankel Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space (511 West 52nd Street). Tickets are free with advance registration, which can be made at mcctheater.org. 

Co-Directors Kevin Carillo and Javon Q. Minter have worked in collaboration with the Performance Lab students over the last seven months to create the 2023-24 program’s UNCENSORED. A mosaic of scenes, monologues, movement pieces and poetry, UNCENSORED: SHAKE THE ROOM is a devised theater piece written and performed by Performance Lab students that promises a perceptive look into the questions young people are confronting and the world they wish to create. 

Performances of UNCENSORED: SHAKE THE ROOM will take place on Friday April 26 at 7pm, Saturday April 27 at 7pm, Sunday April 28 at 2:30pm, Thursday May 2 at 2pm*, Friday May 3 at 7pm, Saturday May 4 at 7pm, and Sunday May 5 at 2:30pm.

*This is a student matinee performance, open to students and school groups. To reserve tickets please email education@mcctheater.org. 

Making Connections, a youth event, will precede the performance on April 27 beginning at 5:30pm. The event will feature youth serving organizations from around the city sharing their community and information. A talkback with the UNCENSORED cast will follow the performance on May 3. 

Playwriting Lab director Juan Ramirez, Jr. and assistant director Alexander Lambie have mentored the Playwriting Lab students as they build original ten-minute, one act plays. From attending their own funeral to uncovering the mystery of the maze, these students have imagined thrilling new worlds to share with the audience. These pieces will be shared as readings over the two days of the FRESHPLAY FESTIVAL with the support of professional actors and directors who will bring these new works to life.  

 Performances of FRESHPLAY FESTIVAL will take place on Friday May 10 at 7pm and Saturday May 11 at 2:30pm. 

The MCC Youth Company is a free program for New York City high school students interested in developing their acting and dramatic writing skills. Within a creative, challenging, and supportive environment, teenagers from five boroughs participate in weekly workshops (Labs) led by professional theater artists. No prior experience is necessary. Youth Company members are selected through a non-competitive, group audition process, based on their willingness to collaborate and interest in speaking their truth. 

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