Reed Birney and Betty Gilpin Set to Lead I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD at Atlantic Theatre Company

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) will present the world premiere of I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard by Halley Feiffer, directed by Trip Cullman and starring Reed Birney and Betty Gilpin.

I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard will begin previews Wednesday, January 7 and officially open Tuesday, January 20, 2015 for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 15, 2015 Off Broadway at Atlantic Stage 2 (330 West 16th Street).

Ella is a precocious and fiercely competitive actress whose sole aim in life is making her famous playwright father David proud. Over the course of a boozy, drug-fueled evening, Ella and David deliberate over whether to read the reviews of her Off Broadway debut... and things unravel from there. Halley Feiffer's dark, probing and very funny new play pulls the audience into the middle of a deeply complicated relationship and sheds new light on the eternal struggles of parents and children to find common ground.

Reed Birney returns to Atlantic where he last appeared in the world premiere of Adam Rapp's Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling. He received a 2014 Tony Award® nomination and Drama Desk Award for his performance in Harvey Fierstein's playCasa Valentina. He appeared in the Broadway revival of Picnic and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his performance in the title role of Uncle Vanya Off Broadway. He is featured as Donald Blythe on the runaway hit Netflix series "House of Cards."

Betty Gilpin, currently featured as Dr. Carrie Roman in the Showtime series "Nurse Jackie," recently starred in Lucy Thurber'sWhere We're Born Off Broadway and also created the role of Elizabeth in the world premiere of Sam Shepard's Heartless at Signature Theatre. She made her Off Broadway debut in Roberto Aguirre-Saca's Good Boys and True and also appeared inThe Language Archive, Boys' Life, That Face and We Live Here.

Celebrated actress and playwright Halley Feiffer last appeared on the Atlantic stage in the world premiere of Ethan Coen'sWomen or Nothing. She co-wrote and starred in the film He's Way More Famous Than You, directed by Michael Urie, and was recently seen in the revival of Jon Robin Baitz' The Substance of Fire at Second Stage Theatre, directed by Trip Cullman.

Trip Cullman most recently staged Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire, Tarrell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy and Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash's acclaimed musical Murder Ballad Off Broadway. This fall he will direct the New York premiere of Simon Stephens play Punk Rock.

I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard will feature scenic design by Mark Wendland, costume design by Jessica Pabst, lighting design by Ben Stanton and sound design by Daniel Kluger.