Sarah Jones Stars in SELL/BUY/DATE, Starting Tonight at Manhattan Theatre Club

Performances begin tonight for Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere production of Sell/Buy/Date, the new play written and performed by Tony Award winner Sarah Jones (Bridge and Tunnel), directed by Drama Desk Award nominee Carolyn Cantor (Fly By Night).

Sell/Buy/Date will open Tuesday, October 18 at The Studio at Stage II - Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series at New York City Center - Stage II (131 West 55th Street).

Tony Award-winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones (Bridge & Tunnel) returns to the New York stage as a dazzling medley of characters in Sell/Buy/Date, an exuberant new show inspired by the real-life experiences of people affected by the sex industry. Brimming with Jones' masterful, multicultural characterizations, Sell/Buy/Date presents an honest, moving and even humorous look at a complex and fascinating subject, all while preserving the full humanity of voices seldom heard in the theater.

The Studio at Stage II is Manhattan Theatre Club's initiative at New York City Center - Stage II(131 West 55th Street). The initiative launched in 2012 with the sold out, critically acclaimed world premiere of Murder Ballad, the rock musical by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash and has continued with the critically acclaimed premieres of Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly, The Lion by Benjamin Scheuer, By The Water by Sharyn Rothstein, Heisenberg by Simon Stephens (prior to its current Broadway transfer production),Important Hats of the Twentieth Century by Nick Jones, and The Ruins of Civilization byPenelope Skinner. In Spring 2017, Stage II will feature the world premiere of Fulfillment Centerby Abe Koogler, featuring Deirdre O'Connell.

The Studio at Stage II has been partially underwritten with a major grant from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

The creative team for Sell/Buy/Date includes Dane Laffrey (scenic and costume design), Eric Southern (lighting design), Bray Poor (sound design), and Antonia Grilikhes-Lasky (dramaturg).

Manhattan Theatre Club, under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over the past four and a half decades, MTC productions have earned numerous awards including six Pulitzer Prizes and 20 Tony Awards. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). Renowned MTC productions include The Father by Florian Zeller; Fool For Love by Sam Shepard; Airline Highway by Lisa D'Amour; Casa Valentina by Harvey Fierstein; Outside Mullingar and Doubt by John PatRick Stanley; The Commons of Pensacola by Amanda Peet; Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash; Choir Boy by TarellAlvin McCraney; The Assembled Parties by Richard Greenberg; Wit by Margaret Edson; Venus in Fur by David Ives; Good People and Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire; The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez; Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies; Ruined by Lynn Nottage; Proof by David Auburn; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch; Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally; The Piano Lesson by August Wilson; Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley; and Ain'tMisbehavin', the Fats Waller musical. For more information on MTC, visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

Sarah Jones (Writer, Performer). Called "a master of the genre" by The New York Times, SarahJones is a Tony and Obie­winning playwright and performer, perhaps best known for her multi­character, one­person Broadway hit Bridge & Tunnel. She has also given multiple main­stage"TEDtalks," performed at The White House for the President and First Lady, and traveled the worldas a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador raising awareness of issues including empowerment of womenand girls. In addition to Sell/Buy/Date, Sarah is currently developing multimedia projects based onher characters including launching an upcoming podcast for PRI. Learn more about Sarah'songoing projects at www.sarahjonesonline.com or via social media at @jonesarah on Twitter and @xosarahjones on Instagram and Facebook.

Carolyn Cantor (Director) is a New York-based director who works primarily on developing new work for the stage. Her work has been seen at regional theaters throughout the country and in New York at theaters including Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, MCC, Primary Stages, the Vineyard and Ars Nova. She has received the Joe Callaway Award, theKanin-Seldes Award from the Theatre Hall of Fame, the Boris Sagal, and Bill Foeller Fellowships from Williamstown, and a Drama League Directing Fellowship.