"Celebrating the new theatre season with an emphasis on playwrights," as an announcement explains, the organization will host "The Playwright's the Thing" 5-7:30 PM at the famed midtown eatery.

Playwrights Tracy Letts (August: Osage County, Bug, Killer Joe), Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, The Scene, Bad Dates), Tom Bradshaw (Strom Thurmond Is Not a Racist, Cleansed) and Sarah Ruhl (Eurydice, The Clean House) will take part in a panel discussion moderated by Mario Fratti (Nine, The Cage, Suicide) and OCC executive committee member Rosalind Friedman.

The evening will also include a light buffet dinner, open seating and cash bar. Tickets ($25 for OCC members and $35 non-members) are available by phone at (203) 268-6055.

The group is known for the Outer Critics Circle Awards, which are decided upon by a group of writers "covering New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway."

For more information visit www.outercritics.org.