PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT | MCC Theater

We believe in not only fostering community but creating culture as well. Our public engagement programming aims to build various entry points for people to spend their time at MCC Theater, with or without a ticket.

FORUMS & COMMUNITY EVENTS

Our Community Forums are facilitated dialogues open to the public. Generally connected to our mainstage programming, each forum is anchored by a topic or theme. Past Forums include: Pressure on the Press with Diep Tran & Brittani Samuel (THE CONNECTOR), Decolonizing Korean-American Heritage with Minju Bae and Ron Kim (WOLFPLAY).

Community Nights center bringing folks together over a shared interest or identity, usually in relation to themes in our productions. Often these take the shape of trivia/game nights, socials, or parties. Past Community Nights include: Southern, Rural, & Queer Social (THE LONELY FEW), Win Feminism! Trivia Night (TROPHY BOYS), and The Quisqueya Block Party (BEES & HONEY).

These events ensure that joy remains a pillar of our practice and that our doors are open to all. Forums and Community Nights are free and open to the public, regardless of whether or not you have seen a performance.

COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR ANON

COMMUNITY FORUM

SEP 30, 2026

Unpacking the Impact of the QANON era

Preshow community forum with invited guest speakers
Free, No RSVP
Starts at 5 PM
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WELCOME TO HELL'S KITCHEN TABLE

OCT 20, 2026

Come meet your neighbors!

Preshow community event and iced tea making for those who live in and frequent Hell’s Kitchen
Free, RSVP encouraged
Starts at 5 PM
RSVP

AUDIENCE CONVERSATIONS & TALKBACKS

Audience Conversations are post-show conversations between audience members and a moderator from the MCC staff, focusing on a topic or theme. These are an opportunity to continue the conversation in our space together. Talkbacks are post-show facilitated conversations between the audience and either the playwright, director, or cast, and provide the opportunity to gain insight into the production process and a peek behind the scenes.

TALKBACKS AND AUDIENCE CONVERSATIONS FOR ANON

AUDIENCE CONVERSATION

TOPIC: Do you know who your neighbors are?

Postshow audience conversation led by the Learning & Culture department at MCC

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AUTHOR/DIRECTOR TALKBACK

Postshow talkback with ANNE WASHBURN (playwright) and ANNE KAUFFMAN (director) of ANON: a tempest at our kitchen table

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CAST TALKBACK

Postshow talkback with the cast of ANON: a tempest at our kitchen table

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AUDIENCE CONVERSATION

TOPIC: RFK: Yes? No? Maybe?

Postshow audience conversation led by the Learning & Culture department at MCC after the 7 PM performance of ANON

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WORKSHOPS

Workshops open our space to collaborate and create with the public. Teaching artists from diverse disciplines lead accessible one-off experiences. Our workshops are $50.00, but we provide 50% discount codes for our community partners, Hell’s Kitchen residents, and all college students. These workshops are free of charge for NYC high school students as well as all MCC Youth Company Members and alumni. Past workshops have ranged from queer horror writing, character creation, devising beyond language, and live figure drawing.

2026/27 WORKSHOPS

Do you have a story only you can tell? Join this solo show workshop, with an emphasis on script development and approaches to embracing the spotlight.

This playwriting workshop opens with a discussion about the “4th wall,” what necessitates an audience, audience engagement and potential responsibility. You will leave with a writer’s start-up kit, a personal inventory based on a list of themes, and a rough structure/scaffolding to hang your story upon.

plays, pencils, and POV Workshop web card

In this workshop, we’ll utilize scenes from recent television, film, and play scripts – acting out what we find at the table and performing our work at the end of session. This workshop is an exercise for your brain and your imagination.