Casts set for MCC readings

MCC Theater has announced the complete cast and creative team for 2017-18 Tow Playwright-in-Residence Jocelyn Bioh’s Happiness and Joe, the third of the 2017 PlayLabs readings. Directed by Saheem Ali, the cast of Happiness and Joe will include Joaquina Kalukango and Austin Smith; the reading will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 2. The final of the 2017 PlayLabs readings, Lily Houghton’s Dear, will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16; directed by Jenna Worsham, the cast of Dear will include Michele Selene Ang, Lilly Englert, and Coral Peña. Both readings will take place at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.). Dear is sold out, but $15 tickets are still available for Happiness and Joe. Both performances will include a reception afterward with the artists and MCC leadership. For tickets and more information, visit www.mcctheater.org.

Russian play of 1929 set for reading

The Parts Unknown reading series will present a free reading of the 1929 Russian play The Conspiracy of Feelings, at 7 p.m. on April 20. The play, by Yurii Olesha, is based on his own novel, Envy, and is a satiric look at capitalism and communism. The reading, with a cast of 13, will be held at the New York Public Library at 18 W. 53rd St. For information and reservations, visit voyagetheatercompany.org/parts-unknown-reading-series-2017/.