World Premieres by Neil LaBute, Michael Weller and Sharr White on Tap at MCC in 2010-2011

MCC Theater will celebrate its 25th anniversary season with world premieres by Neil LaBute, Michael Weller and newcomer Sharr White. The three plays will be produced off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, with exact dates and casting to be announced later.

The world premiere of LaBute’s The Break of Noon will begin the season, running October-December in a co-production with the Geffen Playhouse. Directed by Jo Bonney, the play chronicles the daunting, sometimes harrowing process of “finding religion.” Amidst the chaos and horror of the worst shooting in American history, John Smith sees the face of God. His modern-day revelation creates a maelstrom of disbelief among everyone he knows. A newcomer to faith, John searches for a modern response to the age old questions: at what cost is salvation?

The Break of Noon will mark LaBute’s seventh collaboration with MCC as playwright-in-residence, including the Tony-nominated Reasons to be Pretty, Fat Pig, The Shape of Things, In a Dark Dark House and Some Girl(s).

The world premiere of Sharr White’s The Other Place will be presented in March-April 2011. The drama centers on Juliana Smithton, whose research into the molecular basis for Alzheimer drugs has propelled her into elite scientific circles. When her private life takes a frightening turn, Juliana finds herself drowning in a sea of distorted memory, still struggling to reach out for help.

The world premiere of Weller’s Side Effects completes the season in May-June 2011. A follow-up to his 2008 MCC hit Fifty Words, the new play is the story of what happened on the other end of the line during a dramatic phone call at the culmination of the earlier play. Hugh and Lindy's marriage seems picture-perfect, a beacon in their microcosmic Midwestern world of dinner parties and fundraisers. Behind closed doors they’re falling apart. Lindy’s grappling with bipolar swings, their teenage sons are acting out, and Hugh’s rising political star is suddenly imperiled.

MCC is currently wrapping its 2009-2010 season with the world premiere of Beth Henley’s Family Week, directed by Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme. Starring Kathleen Chalfant and Rosemarie DeWitt, the production opens April 26 and runs through May 23.