Manhattan Class Company, the Off-Broadway troupe that's staged such works as Nixon's Nixon and The Grey Zone, is holding its sixth annual "Summer Play Party," Aug. 21-24. Similar to the now-defunct Young Playwrights Festival, MCC's Party gives eight young NYC dramatists a chance to see their work developed and staged as workshop productions.

Eighty entries were received, winnowed down to eight by MCC members James Bosley and Lynne McCree, restrictions are put on style, form or content for the plays, in a program designed "to inspire high school students to pursue dramatic writing as a creative outlet for personal expression." Also encouraging is that two of this year's writers, Charles DiBenedetto and Allison Connolly, are previous Party participants.

This year's playwrights & plays are:

(Aug. 21 & 23)
Forbidden Love by Lorraine Mendez, about boy meets girl -- and then another girl.
No Mail, No Men, No Flies by Allison Connelly, about a WWII soldier, his fragile bride, and her tough sister.
Commit by Jenny Medina, with a wife taking revenge on her abusive husband.
The Cure by Charles DiBenedetto, parodying the story of "Dr. Jekyll &;Mr. Hyde."

(Aug. 22 & 24)
My Worst Party, by Jorge De La Rosa, about an uptight dad throwing a party for his daughter and her friends.
Can You Cry My Tears? by Natasha Burgos, about a wife standing by her man -- even after he kills her.
Stretching My Wings by Nathaniel Brown, about "a young man dressing as a woman to find himself."
Nyema's Mother by Julia Thurmon, in which a girl reunites with her biological mother. For tickets ($5 suggested donation) and information on MCC's Summer Play Party call (212) 727-7765.

--By David Lefkowitz