Agony and the Agony Begins Previews Dec. 8; Rush Offered

Nicky Silver's play The Agony and the Agony begins performances December 8, 2006 at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street). Directed by Terry Kinney, the play has a cast that features the playwright himself, joined by Victoria Clark, winner of the Tony Award for The Light in the Piazza, and Cheyenne Jackson, who starred on Broadway in the musical All Shook Up.
 
Scheduled through December 22nd, the show is presented at the Vineyard as one of the theatre's Lab Productions -- new works that are fully rehearsed and staged, with limited production values, and not open to the press for review.
 
While tickets to Lab Productions are regularly available only to Vineyard Theatre members, The Vineyard has announced that beginning December 9, a limited number of seats for $25 will be released for sale to the general public two hours prior performances, subject to availability. Phone sales will not be accepted for rush seating. If a performance is sold out, a wait list for the $25 seats will begin 2 hours prior to curtain.
 
In The Agony and the Agony, Clark plays an ambitious actress married to a desperate playwright, played by Silver, while Jackson plays an aspiring young actor whose arrival mixes things up even more. Terry Kinney, who directed Silver's Beautiful Child at The Vineyard, will direct.
 
The cast also includes Michael Esper, Harry van Gorkum and Marilyn Torres.
 
The play marks the first stage appearance in New York for Clark since her triumph in the role of Margaret Johnson in the Craig Lucas-Adam Guettel musical The Light in the Piazza at Lincoln Center, a performance that earned her the 2005 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for Best Actress in a Musical.
 
In addition to his acclaimed starring role in All Shook Up, Jackson recently appeared as real-life hero Mark Bingham in the 9-11 film, "United 93."
 
Mr. Silver's work has been seen in New York predominantly at The Vineyard, which has premiered such works as the playwright's Pterodactyls, Raised in Captivity and The Maiden's Prayer.

The show performs Tuesday thru Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 and Sundays at 3 and 8 p.m. (except Friday Dec. 22 when performances are at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.) For information, call the Vineyard Theatre box office at 212-353-0303

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