Download MCC Theater Contact: Rick Miramontez / Jon Dimond / Jaron

MCC Theater Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Jon Dimond / Jaron Caldwell
[email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
212-695-7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
MCC THEATER PRESENTS
“THE BREAK OF NOON”
BY NEIL LaBUTE
DIRECTED BY JO BONNEY
WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION FEATURING
TRACEE CHIMO, DAVID DUCHOVNY,
JOHN EARL JELKS AND AMANDA PEET
OPENS NOVEMBER 22, 2010
New York, NY – MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William
Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) presents the world premiere of
The Break of Noon by Neil LaBute, directed by Jo Bonney. The production features actors
Tracee Chimo, David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks and Amanda Peet, Performances began at
the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on October 28, 2010 and continue through
December 22, 2010. An official opening night is set for Monday, November 22, 2010. The Break
of Noon is a co-production with the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles (Gil Cates, Producing
Director; Randall Arney, Artistic Director; Ken Novice, Managing Director).
The Break of Noon is Neil LaBute’s seventh collaboration with MCC Theater as Playwright-inResidence, following the 2009 Tony Award-nominated Best Play, Reasons to be Pretty. Renowned
for his darkly-comic morality plays (The Shape of Things, In a Dark Dark House), he teams up again
with longtime collaborator, director Jo Bonney (Some Girl(s), Fat Pig), for this exploration of the
daunting, sometimes harrowing process of “finding religion.” David Duchovny (“Californication,”
“The X-Files”) stars as John Smith, a man who, amidst the chaos and horror of the worst office
shooting in American history, sees the face of God. His modern-day revelation creates a maelstrom
of disbelief among everyone he knows. A newcomer to faith, John urgently searches for a modern
response to the age-old question: at what cost salvation?
Subscriptions for MCC’s 2010-2011 season are on-sale now and priced as low as $99 for the 3-play
season. For more information visit www.mcctheater.org or to purchase packages, contact
TicketCentral directly at www.ticketcentral.com or call 212-279-4200. Individual tickets for The
Break of Noon are also available through TicketCentral.
MCC Theater is one of New York City's leading Off Broadway theater companies, committed to
presenting New York and world premieres each season. When MCC Theater was founded in 1986,
its mission was simple: to bring new theatrical voices to theater-going audiences. MCC Theater
continues to accomplish this yearly through presentation of its mainstage works; its Literary
Program, which actively seeks and develops new and emerging writers and its Education & Outreach
Program, allowing more than 1,200 students yearly to experience theater, increase literacy and
discover their own voices in the arts. Notable MCC Theater highlights include: the 2008 Tony
Award-nominated Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute, last season’s Fifty Words, the 2004 Tonywinning production of Bryony Lavery’s Frozen; Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig; Rebecca Gilman’s The Glory
of Living; Marsha Norman’s Trudy Blue; Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit; Tim Blake
Nelson’s The Grey Zone and Alan Bowne’s Beirut. Over the years, the dedication to the work of new
and emerging artists has earned MCC Theater a variety of awards. For a complete production history,
visit www.mcctheater.org.
The Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in
1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary
plays, provocative new works and musicals, the Geffen Playhouse continues to present a body of
work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and
philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company is helmed by
Producing Director and President of the Board Gilbert Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney,
Managing Director Ken Novice and Chairman of the Board Frank Mancuso. Proudly associated with
UCLA, the Geffen Playhouse welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains
an extensive education and outreach program, designed to engage young people and the community
at large in the arts. For more information, visit www.geffenplayhouse.com.
Bios_________________________________________________________
Tracee Chimo was last seen as Regan in The Bachelorette. Broadway: Irena's Vow. Off Broadway:
Circle Mirror Transformation (Lucille Lortel nom, Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble
Performance), Vendetta Chrome, Guilty, Bushwhackin', Vamp. Regional: Sundance '08, Humana
Festival/Actor's Theatre of Louisville, The Cleveland Playhouse and Philadelphia Theatre Company.
TV: Guest-star in the FX series “Louie,” “Guiding Light.” Film: Evening, What Would Jesus Do?,
Daughters of Liberty and Wasted Time. Last year Tracee was honored by actress Marian Seldes and
The O'Neill Studio, where she studied, with the Eugene O'Neill Award for her work in Irena's Vow.
David Duchovny was born and raised in New York City. He attended Princeton University, where
he played one season as shooting guard on the school's basketball team, received his Masters Degree
in English Literature from Yale, and was on the road to earning his Ph.D. when he caught the acting
bug. Subsequently, Duchovny emerged to become one of the most highly acclaimed actors in
Hollywood. Duchovny recently starred alongside Demi Moore in the April release of the film The
Joneses, which premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. He is currently filming the fourth
season of Showtime's hit “Californication,” for which he won the Golden Globe in January 2008 for
Best Actor in a Comedy Series. With this win, Duchovny became the only actor in Globe history to
win for both a drama and comedy series. He also received Golden Globe nominations for the second
and third seasons of series and a SAG nomination for season two. In addition to starring in the show,
Duchovny serves as one of the show's executive producers. From 1993-2002, Duchovny starred in
Fox Television's monster hit “The X-Files,” which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor
in a Drama Series and two nominations for an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. He
was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his highly
acclaimed appearances on “Life With Bonnie” and “The Larry Sanders Show.” Additionally, he has
been nominated for a total of three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series, five
Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and a
TV Critic's Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The press and the public agree that Duchovny
brings a fierce intellect, a quiet intensity and an acerbic wit to his roles on both the small screen and
the silver screen. After “The X-Files” debuted, millions and millions of self-proclaimed "X-Philes"
spent their Sunday nights wide-eyed in anticipation as their hero, the brilliant and sullen FBI agent
Fox Mulder (Duchovny), explored cases deemed unbelievable or unsolvable by the Bureau.
Duchovny's remarkable performance on “The X-Files” earned him the title of "Zeitgeist Icon" by
Laura Jacobs of The New Republic and "the first Internet sex symbol with hair" by Maureen Dowd of
The New York Times. Duchovny added the role of director to his already extensive list of
accomplishments when he wrote, directed and starred in two critically acclaimed episodes of “The XFiles,” titled "The Unnatural,” which starred Jesse L. Martin, and "Hollywood A.D.," starring Garry
Shandling and Téa Leoni. Duchovny's passion for renegade films brought him critical acclaim for his
performances in the feature films Kalifornia, in which he costarred with Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis;
the controversial film The Rapture, directed by Michael Tolkin, in which Duchovny starred opposite
Mimi Rogers; and Julia Has Two Lovers, in which he turned in a much heralded performance as a
telephone hustler. Duchovny played Roland "Rollie" Totheroh, Charlie Chaplin's longtime
confidante and cameraman, in the Sir Richard Attenborough directed Chaplin, with Robert Downey,
Jr. in the title role; and starred in the smash hit Beethoven, opposite Charles Grodin, as the evil
yuppie determined to take over Grodin's company. His feature credits include the action-comedy
Evolution, opposite Julianne Moore, directed by Ivan Reitman, of Ghostbuster fame, the romanticcomedy Return To Me, opposite Minnie Driver, directed by Bonnie Hunt, The X-Files: Fight The
Future, directed by Rob Bowman, and the Touchstone film, Playing God, with Timothy Hutton and
Angelina Jolie, an action thriller, directed by Andy Wilson (winner of a Cable Ace Award for Cracker).
Duchovny appeared in Ben Stiller's film Zoolander (a hilariously funny unbilled cameo performance).
Still recognized for his role as Dennis/Denise Bryson, the transvestite detective in David Lynch's
breakthrough television series “Twin Peaks,” Duchovny also spent four seasons as the impassioned
narrator of Zalman King's erotic anthology series “Red Shoe Diaries,” which began as a feature
length telefilm for Showtime. In 2002, he starred in the Miramax ensemble comedy Full Frontal, for
director Steven Soderbergh, co-starring Julia Roberts, George Clooney and David Hyde Pierce.
Duchovny has made brief returns to television, first appearing in good friend Bonnie Hunt's show,
“Life With Bonnie,” in which he guest starred as over-the-top weatherman Johnny Volcano, (for
which he was nominated for an Emmy in 2003). Following that, he made a memorable appearance
on “Sex in the City,” as an ex-flame of Sarah Jessica Parkers' Carrie Bradshaw. Duchovny made his
feature directorial debut in 2005 with House of D, which he also wrote and appeared in. The film,
which starred Robin Williams and Anton Yelchin, vividly captured the spirit of youth in all its joy and
heartbreak. He also starred in Trust the Man, a romantic comedy in which he starred with Julianne
Moore, and The TV Set, directed by Jake Kasdan. Never one to slow down, he was still active behind
the camera directing an episode of the Fox television series “Bones” starring David Boreanaz and
Emily Deschanel. Duchovny appeared in the feature films Things We Lost in the Fire, opposite Halle
Berry and Benicio Del Toro; and The Secret, directed by Vincent Perez and produced by Luc Besson.
In the summer of 2008, he appeared in The X-Files: I Want to Believe, the follow up to the X-Files
Movie, in which he reprises his role as agent Fox Mulder.
John Earl Jelks was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as “Sterling” in August
Wilson’s Radio Golf, which he also toured to the McCarter, Goodman, Center Stage, Seattle Rep.,
Mark Taper and Yale Repertory theaters. Jelks also appeared with Phylicia Rashad on Broadway in
August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean as “Citizen” (after runs at the Goodman, Huntington, and Mark
Taper theaters, where he won an NAACP Theater Award and an L.A. Ovation Award). In 2008, Jelks
won an AUDELCO Award for his work in the Off Broadway revival of The First Breeze of Summer.
Regional theater credits include Fetch Clay, Make Man at the McCarter Theatre, the world stage
premiere of the Shawshank Redemption at the Gaiety Theatre in Ireland, Magnolia at the Goodman
Theater, Joe Turner's Come and Gone at the Penumbra Theatre Company and the Missouri
Repertory Theatre, The Piano Lesson at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and Diary of a Black Man
at the Union Square Theatre and the Shaw Theatre in London, England. Recently, Jelks appeared in
Spike Lee's film Miracle at St. Anna.
Amanda Peet is an accomplished and versatile film actress who is best known for her diverse
choice of roles in romantic comedies, dramas and thrillers. This fall, she starred in the successful
disaster film, 2012, directed by Roland Emmerich and co-starring John Cusack. She recently
finished filming 20th Century Fox’s Gulliver’s Travels starring Jack Black and Jason Segel, and she
stars in the upcoming dramatic comedy Please Give, directed by Nicole Holofcener and co-starring
Catherine Keener and Rebecca Hall. Peet starred as Jordan McDeere on Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60
on the Sunset Strip." In 2006, she made her Broadway debut opposite Patrick Wilson in the revival
of Neil Simon’s Barefoot In the Park. She also starred, to critical acclaim, in the Neil LaBute Off
Broadway play This Is How It Goes opposite Ben Stiller and Jeffrey Wright. Her numerous film
credits include the Oscar nominated Warner Bros./Section Eight thriller Syriana, What Doesn't Kill
You (with Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke) and A Lot Like Love. Other credits include Woody
Allen’s Melinda and Melinda; The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards and the
2003 hit Something’s Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. In 2003 Peet starred
alongside John Cusack and Ray Liotta in the thriller Identity. In 2002, Peet was seen in Changing
Lanes opposite Ben Affleck. That same year, she appeared as Jeff Goldblum’s mistress, a beautiful
and privileged young woman who is hooked on drugs, in Igby Goes Down. Audiences first warmed
to Amanda when she starred as Jack on the hit drama, “Jack and Jill”. A native of New York, Peet
graduated from Columbia University with a degree in American History. While there, she also
studied acting under Uta Hagen, which ultimately lead her to pursue acting as a career.
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