Choir Boy, by Moonlight Oscar Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Will Play Broadway in Manhattan Theatre Club's New Season

Choir Boy—an acclaimed 2013 drama by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the scribe who won a 2017 Academy Award for Moonlight—will play Broadway as part of the nonprofit Manhattan Theatre Club's 2018-2019 season. Also newly announced by MTC are a main-stem production of The Nap, by Olivier nominee Richard Bean (whose 2012 play One Man, Two Guvnors won Broadway acclaim and a Tony Award for James Corden), and the world premiere play India Pale Ale by Jaclyn Backhaus (Men on Boats).

Beginning the season will be Bean's comedy The Nap at Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The play focuses on Dylan Spokes, a fast-rising young star who arrives for a championship tournament only to be confronted by the authorities warning him of the repercussions of match-fixing. Before he knows it, Dylan is forced into underhanded dealings with a cast of wildly colorful characters that includes his ex-convict dad, saucy mom, quick-tongued manager and a renowned gangster. Daniel Sullivan will direct the play, slated to begin performances on September 4, 2018 with an opening planned for September 27.

McCraney's Choir Boy makes a Broadway move five-plus years after its world premiere at MTC's Studio at Stage II. Choir Boy centers on the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, which for a half a century has been dedicated to the education of strong, ethical black men. One talented student has been waiting for years to take his rightful place as the leader of the school's legendary gospel choir. But can he make his way through the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key? Directed by Trip Cullman, Choir Boy will begin previews at the Friedman on December 27, 2018 with an opening scheduled for January 22, 2019. Choir Boy will mark McCraney's Broadway debut.

Backhaus' India Pale Ale will kick off MTC's off-Broadway season at New York City Center—Stage I. The play takes place in a small Wisconsin town, where a tight-knit Punjabi community gathers to celebrate the wedding of a traditional family's only son, just as their strong-willed daughter announces her plans to move away and open a bar. As they come together for feasts filled with singing and dancing, one generation's cherished customs clash with another's modern-day aspirations as ghosts from the family's past linger in everyone's thoughts—until one sudden event changes everything. Will Davis is onboard to direct the production that begins previews on October 2, 2018 with an opening set for October 23.

Casting for all three Manhattan Theatre Club productions will be announced at a later date. Five additional offerings in MTC's 2018-2019 season—including one at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, two at New York City Center—Stage I and two at The Studio at Stage II—will be announced in the coming weeks.