After being put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jocelyn Bioh’s Nollywood Dreams will make its Off-Broadway debut when MCC Theater reopens for in-person productions this fall. Saheem Ali will direct the production, scheduled to begin in October at the company’s Newman Mills Theater.

The play, set in 1990s Nigeria, follows two friends who find themselves immersed in the Nollywood scene, including auditions for the country’s hottest director, its biggest heartthrob, and a former leading lady.

The 2021–2022 season will continue in the new year with the new musical Space Dogs. Written and performed by Van Hughes and Nick Blaemire, the piece is inspired by Laika, a stray dog launched into orbit as part of the Soviet space program. The musical was previously announced for a streaming presentation this spring; those plans have been put on hold with the shift to an in-person run.

In April, MCC will present Ana Nogueira’s Here She Is Boys, a reading of which was presented in 2019 as part of MCC’s PlayLabs series under the title Mask Only. The play takes place largely outside the stage door of the Idina Menzel-led musical If/Then as two friends navigate the wrinkles that put their decades-long relationship to the test. The Mike Donahue-helmed production will begin in April.

Rounding out the mainstage lineup in May will be Donja R. Love’s soft, directed by Whitney White. The play centers on a boarding school teacher struggling to keep his Black and Brown students safe from systemic perils after one takes his own life.

Additionally, MCC Youth Company’s Uncensored will return for a 21st edition in the spring, inviting young artists to showcase their monologues, scenes, music, and more.

Exact dates and casting for all of the productions will be announced later. As part of MCC’s reopening plan, the theatre has expanded its safety initiatives with Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization technology and an upgraded HVAC system.