New Plays by Amanda Peet, Jocelyn Bioh, and More Set for 2017 PlayLabs Series

MCC Theater has announced the lineup for its 2017 PlayLabs reading series this fall. All readings will take place at the Lucille Lortel Theatre starting at 7pm. The cast will be announced at a later date.

First up, on September 11, is Our Very Own Carlin McCullough, a new play by Amanda Peet, directed by Tyne Rafaeli. It is described as follows: "Carlin McCullough is a tennis prodigy with the chance for greatness, but the adults in her life can’t agree on what it takes to succeed in the intense world of competitive tennis. While her longtime coach and troubled mother grapple with their own pasts and failed ambitions, a dramatic encounter forces Carlin to come to terms with her past and face her future head on."

Next, on September 25, is El Huracán, by Charise Castro Smith, with the director to be determined. This one is described as follows: "Hurricane Andrew is quickly approaching Miami, and three generations of women prepare for the storm while the matriarch Valeria battles her quickly advancing Alzheimer’s disease. Held captive to her debilitating condition, Valeria’s memories and inner world are revealed in a journey both tragic and dreamlike. Thirty years later, the family is again threatened by rising waters and an impending disaster as they face each other in the wake of an unforgivable mistake. With allusions to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, El Huracán is a magical exploration of one family’s multigenerational battle with acceptance and forgiveness."

On October 2, Jocelyn Bioh — whose School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play will be receiving a fully staged production as part of the MCC Theater's 2017-18 mainstage season — will present Happiness and Joe as part of PlayLabs, directed by Saheem Ali. It is described as follows: "Happiness and Joe are madly in love and their wedding is the most anticipated event in the (fictional) West African country of Upendo. But the rising tensions in the country are becoming harder to ignore and they find themselves, unwittingly, in the center of it."

Finally, on October 16, Lily Houghton will present Dear, directed by Jenna Worsham. It is described as follows: "April has disappeared from her college campus, and her three friends convene in their dorm’s shared bathroom to trade theories about her whereabouts and attacks against each other. When April’s paper on female serial killers begins to bare striking similarities to their behavior, the students are forced to face their own secrets and rage."

For tickets and more information on the 2017 PlayLabs season, click here.