MCC Theater announced today the line-up for their Fall 2019 PlayLabs readings of new plays to be held at The Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space (511 West 52nd Street): Gina Femia's Allond(r)a, directed by Elena Araoz; Ana Nogueira's Mask Only, directed by Mike Donahue; C.A. Johnson's I Know I Know I Know, directed by Taylor Reynolds; and Brian Otaño's The Dust, directed by David Mendizábal.
Additionally, MCC is introducing their new SongLab series with a new musical: Saheem Ali/Jocelyn Bioh/Michael Thurber's Goddess, directed by Saheem Ali. SongLabs supports the development of new musicals by giving creative teams time and space to work with musicians and a music director, culminating in a presentation with a band.
Admission to all the readings is free and open to the public, reservations can be made at www.mcctheater.org
The PlayLab and SongLab reading series invites audiences to engage directly with playwrights and composers as they develop new works for the theater. Each reading includes a post-show reception with wine and snacks, offering a chance to discuss the work and mingle with the playwrights, actors, MCC leadership, and other audience members.
Currently playing at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space is the highly anticipated World Premiere production of The Wrong Man, the new stage musical written by multi-platinum songwriter Ross Golan, with direction by Tony Award-winning and two-time Emmy Award-winning director Thomas Kail, in The Newman Mills Theater; and the New York premiere production of Theresa Rebeck's Seared, with direction by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel, in the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater.Allond(r)a
By Gina Femia
Directed by Elena Araoz
Mask Only
By Ana Nogueira
Directed by Mike Donahue
It's 2015 and Jeff and Judy are right where they belong: waiting outside the stage door of the Broadway musical If/Then to get Idina Menzel's autograph. But she never f-ing comes out. And the conversation they have while they wait will change the course of their lifelong friendship forever. Warning: Beware of tourists.
Monday, November 11 at 7:00pm
I Know I Know I Know
By C.A. Johnson
Directed by Taylor Reynolds
When Zoe's wife goes missing (again), her lifelong best friends join her on the island off the coast of Virginia where they spent childhood summers. A play about women, friendship, wild ponies, and love that lasts forever. (Which is to say it is also a play about betrayal...betrayal again and again and again).
Monday, November 18 at 7:00pm
Goddess
Conceived by Saheem Ali
Music and Lyrics by Michael Thurber
Book by Jocelyn Bioh
Additional Lyrics by Mkhululi Z. Mabija
Directed by Saheem Ali
A young man returns home to the African coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya to marry his fiancée and step into his family's political dynasty. But when he visits Moto Moto - a steamy afro jazz club and the stomping ground of his youth - he finds himself drawn to a mysterious new singer. Soon, he must decide whether to fulfill the legacy of his lineage or give in to his love of music and a newfound attraction. A new musical inspired by the ancient myth of Marimba, the goddess of music.
Monday, December 9 at 7:00pm
The Dust
By Brian Otaño
Directed by David Mendizábal
In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, Firefighter Freddy Hernandez was among the many who bravely searched Ground Zero in search of closure for victims' families. Years later, when Freddy is diagnosed with cancer brought on by exposure to toxins on "the pile", he and his family must reckon with how the attacks changed the course of their lives. Inspired by true events, The Dust explores trauma, loss and the steep price of heroism.
For more information, please visit www.mcctheater.org
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