Keegan Allen, James Badge Dale & James Ransone to Star in MCC's Small Engine Repair

Rising TV and film actors Keegan Allen, James Badge Dale and James Ransone will join playwright John Pollono in MCC Theater's forthcoming New York premiere of Pollono's Small Engine Repair. Jon Bernthal and Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald are no longer attached to the production due to scheduling conflicts. The drama, directed by Jo Bonney, will begin performances at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on October 30 and open on November 18.

In Small Engine Repair, Frank (Pollono), Swaino (Dale) and Packie (Ransone) are buddies since high school, now past their prime. They meet off-hours in Frank’s out-of-the-way repair shop under cloudy circumstances. Enter Chad (Allen), a plugged-in, preppy college jock, whose arrival ignites an explosion of long-simmering resentment and rage in this twisty, comic thriller.

Allen is best known for his Teen Choice Award-nominated role as Toby Cavanaugh on TV’s hit mystery Pretty Little Liars. Small Engine Repair marks his professional stage debut. Dale’s screen credits include World War Z, Ironman 3, The Lone Ranger, Flight, Shame, The Pacific, 24 and Rubicon. The son of Tony-winning director Grover Dale and the late Tony nominated actress Anita Morris, he has appeared off-Broadway in Expats, Burleigh Grime$ and Getting Into Heaven. Ransone has appeared on TV inThe Wire, Treme, Generation Kill and the upcoming AMC drama Low Winter Sun.

Small Engine Repair premiered in 2011 at the Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles. The play won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Playwriting as well as an Ovation Award and three Garland Awards. The thriller was initially scheduled to make its New York premiere at the Lortel as part of MCC’s 2012-2013 season, but was later bumped for Neil LaBute’s Reasons to Be Happy.