I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD Extends Through March 1 at the Atlantic

Atlantic Theater Company is proud to announce that the world premiere production of Halley Feiffer's play I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard, directed by Trip Cullman, has been extended an additional two weeks due to high ticket demand following opening last night to critical acclaim.

I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard began previews January 7, opened January 20 and will now play an additional two weeks through Sunday, March 1, 2015 Off Broadway at Atlantic Stage 2 (330 West 16 Street).

I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard stars Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Reed Birney (Casa Valentina) and Betty Gilpin (Sam Shepard's Heartless Off Broadway, "Nurse Jackie.")

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 new play pulls the audience into the middle of a deeply complicated relationship and sheds light on the struggle 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 play Casa 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, featured as Dr. Carrie Roman in the Showtime series "Nurse Jackie," recently starred in Lucy Thurber's Where 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 in The 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's Women 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. He will direct the New York premiere of Simon Stephens play Punk Rock.

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

BIOGRAPHIES:

REED BIRNEY (David) 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 a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Harvey Fierstein's play Casa Valentina. Mr. Birney 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. In 2011, he was recognized with a Special Drama Desk Award in recognition of the three plays in which he appeared in during one season: A Small Fire at Playwrights Horizons and at the Roundabout Underground, Tigers Be Still and The Dream of the Burning Boy. He was in Annie Baker's hit Circle Mirror Transformation at Playwrights Horizons. For the New York premiere of Sarah Kane's Blasted at Soho Rep, he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. He was Dr. Sweet in the original New York cast of Bug and played Tony Blair in Stuff Happens at the Public. He has received three OBIEs and two Drama Desk Awards. He is Donald Blythe on the Netflix series, "House of Cards."

BETTY GILPIN (Ella) recently starred in Rattlestick Playwrights Theater's production of Lucy Thurber's Where We're Born Off Broadway and also created the role of Elizabeth in the premiere of Sam Shepard's Heartless at the Signature Theatre. In 2013, she wrapped production on Rupert Goold's film True Story, in which she co-stars alongside James Franco and Jonah Hill. Gilpin made her Off-Broadway debut in Second Stage Theatre's production of Roberto Aguirre-Saca's Good Boys and True and appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of The Language Archive, Second Stage's production of Howard Korder's Boys' Life and in Manhattan Theatre Club's productions of That Face and We Live Here. She co-starred with Wendie Malick in Noah Haidle's two character play What is the Cause of Thunder? at Williamstown Theatre Festival and also co-starred in the world premiere of Lucas Kavner's Fish Eye at Here in New York. She is currently featured as the newest resident Dr. Carrie Roman in the Showtime series "Nurse Jackie." Additional television and film credits include "The Good Wife," "Past Life," "The Unusuals," "Possible Side Effects," "Fringe," "New Amsterdam," "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: SVU," "Medium," Death in Love, The Northern Kingdom, Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais, Beach Pillows and Take Care. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Fordham College at Lincoln Center and lives in New York City.

HALLEY FEIFFER (Playwright) is a New York-based playwright and actress. Full-length plays include How To Make Friends and then Kill Them (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, directed by Kip Fagan), Sidney and Laura, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City and Valerie Sweet. Her plays have been produced or developed by Second Stage Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, LAByrinth Theater Company, Cape Cod Theatre Project, The Orchard Project, Keen Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and elsewhere. She is currently working on commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club and Jen Hoguet Productions. 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. She is thrilled to be back at the Atlantic, where she appeared in Ethan Coen's Women or Nothing last fall, directed by David Cromer.

TRIP CULLMAN (Director). Select NYC: Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire (Second Stage), Tarrell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy (Manhattan Theater Club), Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash's Murder Ballad (Manhattan Theater Club and Union Square Theater), Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not (Second Stage), Leslye Headland's Assistance (Playwrights Horizons), Adam Bock's A Small Fire (Playwrights Horizons, Drama Desk nom.), Adam Rapp's The Hallway Trilogy: Nursing (Rattlestick), Headland's Bachelorette (Second Stage), Terrence McNally's Some Men (Second Stage), Bert V. Royal's Dog Sees God (Century Center), Bock's The Drunken City (Playwrights Horizons), Weitz's Roulette (EST), Jonathan Tolins's The Last Sunday In June (Rattlestick and Century Center), Bock's Swimming In The Shallows (Second Stage), Gina Gionfriddo's US Drag (stageFARM), and several productions with The Play Company. Select regional: McCraney's Choir Boy (Alliance), John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation (Old Globe), Richard Greenberg's The Injured Party (South Coast Rep), McNally's Unusual Acts of Devotion (La Jolla Playhouse), Christopher Durang's Betty's Summer Vacation (Bay Street), Bess Wohl's Touched (Williamstown Theater Festival). Upcoming: Bock's The Colby Sisters of Pittsburgh, PA (Tricycle Theatre, London), McCraney's Choir Boy (Geffen Playhouse), Simon Stephens's Punk Rock (MCC).

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award winning Off-Broadway theater that produces great plays simply and truthfully, utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of a play and the intent of its playwright are at the core of the creative process. The plays in the Atlantic repertory, from both new and established playwrights, are boldly interpreted by today's finest theater artists and resonate with contemporary audiences. Since its inception over 29 years ago, Atlantic has produced more than 150 plays including Tony Award winning productions of Spring Awakening and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Martin McDonagh); New York Drama Critics Circle winner for Best New Play, The Night Alive (Conor McPherson) world premieres of Almost an Evening, Offices, Happy Hour and Women or Nothing (Ethan Coen); The Threepenny Opera; Our New Girl (Nancy Harris) Bluebird and Harper Regan (Simon Stephens); What Rhymes With America (Melissa James Gibson); 3 Kinds of Exile (John Guare); Storefront Church (John Patrick Shanley); The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Martin McDonagh); Body Awareness (Annie Baker); Romance (David Mamet); Through a Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, adapted by Jenny Worton); Farragut North (Beau Willimon); Blue/Orange (Joe Penhall); Port Authority and Dublin Carol (Conor McPherson); Writer's Block (Woody Allen); American Buffalo and Edmond (David Mamet); The Cider House Rules(adapted by Peter Parnell); Good Television (Rod McLachlan); Celebration & The Room, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska and The Hothouse (Harold Pinter); Gabriel (Moira Buffini); Oohrah! (Bekah Brunstetter); Mojo, Parlour Song (Jez Butterworth); Boys' Life and The Lights (Howard Korder); Distant Fires (Kevin Heelan); The Lying Lesson, Missing Persons (Craig Lucas).

Atlantic has garnered 12 Tony Awards, 12 Lucille Lortel Awards, 15 Obie Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Drama League Awards. Atlantic also operates The Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which has an undergraduate program in conjunction with NYU, as well as a two-year professional acting program and a six-week intensive workshop every summer. Atlantic for Kids and the Educational Outreach Program partners with schools and teachers throughout the greater metropolitan area coordinating in-school visits of teaching artists and post-theater talkbacks.

Regular tickets begin at $45.00. Order online at www.Atlantictheater.org, by calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111, or in person at the Linda Gross Theater box office (336 W. 20th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues).