Ella is a fiercely ambitious young actress whose deepest need is to make her celebrated playwright father, David, proud. Late one night, after her Off-Broadway debut, the two sit together drinking, smoking and waiting for the reviews. What begins as an intimate conversation about art, talent and the theatre gradually turns volatile, exposing the dependence, cruelty and hunger for approval at the centre of their relationship.
The Play
I’m gonna pray for you so hard
LOVE.
AMBITION.
APPROVAL.
At its centre, I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard is about the voice we inherit from the people closest to us.
It asks what happens when love becomes conditional, ambition becomes identity and approval becomes something a person can no longer live without.
This new production brings Halley Feiffer’s psychologically charged two-hander back to a New York stage from 1st October 2026.
“Blistering, blackly funny and creepy.”
— New York Daily News
“Exhilaratingly toxic… spectacular tension and real danger.”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Viciously funny… brutally effective.”
— Time Out New York
“Provocative, sensitive, shocking and often very unsettling.”
— New York Observer
Reviews refer to the original 2015 Atlantic Theater Company production.
Chris
as David Oct 1-4
ACTOR.DIRECTOR.COACH.TEACHER.
Chris Wells is an actor, director, coach, and teacher with more than 40 years of experience. He has taught acting at NYU and is a senior faculty member at The Barrow Group (TBG), which Anne Hathaway calls “the institution that taught me how to act”.
As an actor, Chris has played leading roles on Broadway, starred in world premieres by A.R. Gurney and David Ives, and played a season in British Rep. Some career highlights include Jim Farrell in the Broadway production of Titanic, numerous performances in the starring role of Bobby Childs in the Broadway production of Crazy for You, appearances on such episodic television series as Law and Order and Ed, and a featured role in the 2020 independent film Ask for Jane.
Recently, Chris worked with Michael Dermansky to develop his one-person show, Letters to Keith, the hilarious and moving story of Dermansky’s imaginary correspondence with Keith Urban, his dream pen-pal.
Priya
as Ella
ACTOR.
DIRECTOR.
PRODUCER.
Priya Karki made her acting debut in Boston before relocating to New York and has since worked across theater, film, and commercial projects.
Born in New Delhi and having lived in multiple countries, she brings an international perspective to her work, both on stage and on screen. She has directed short films, choreographed dances and dabbled in various production roles.
Her recent credits include directing Elefantes in Flagrante for the Chain Winter one-act festival and performing on stage at The Players Theatre in the New York premiere of A Girl in a Long Coat, written and directed by Mavish Khan and on screen in the short film Perfectly Seasoned (written by Harbinder Singh and directed by Brittany Ramjattan).
As the founder of 8th Day Whisper production house, Priya is thrilled to be bringing this play to you all.
Victor
as DavidOct 6-11
ACTOR. DIRECTOR. WRITER. TEACHER.
Victor Verhaeghe has been working in the entertainment business for almost 40 years. He drank his way through the 80’s, while doing many plays that no one saw, and one classic low budget horror film, Dead Dudes in the House. He then stopped drinking and began working in the alternative comedy world of the Lower East Side through the 90’s. This is where he discovered his love of absurd comedy.
He has written and directed multiple award winning short films, all of them based in the absurd in one way or the other, including: COP-DOC, The Doctor Cares, The Parker, Saving Kevin and Caleb Vs. Trialagor. For the stage, Victor has written, hundreds of comedy sketches, wrote and performed a number of shows on the Lower East Side, including, Naked and Not Ashamed, Songs My Mother Stole From Me; Musicals, The Women of James Bond, The Great Official Subway Musical, and Doorman, The Musical, at The NY Theater Festival. He is currently finishing up his latest musical, Tik Tok Baby.
As an actor, Victor recently worked with Ewen McGregor on the upcoming Hulu show, The Spot, as a recurring Guest Star in Daredevil: Born Again. Recent films: Notice to Quit, with Michael Zegen, No Hard Feelings, with Jennifer Lawrence, Bad Education with Hugh Jackman; Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, directed by Steven Speilberg. On TV: Recurring roles on the TV shows Raising Kanan – Power Book III; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, For Life, HBO’s The Night Of, Three seasons on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and many Guest Starring appearances on Law & Order, Law & Order SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Chrissy
Director
DIRECTOR.
ACTOR.
Chrissy Sheehan has been creating theatre since she was fourteen years old, and has always had a particular love for the classics. She has mostly made her home in the works of Shakespeare, having directed shows such as Henry VI, Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors, and performed as Joan (Henry VI), Regan (King Lear), Cassius (Julius Caesar), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Hero (Much Ado About Nothing), Ophelia (Hamlet), Cassio (Othello) and Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). She brings that classical eye to all her work, guiding her actors in their discovery of characters that are larger than life but all too real. Chrissy studied theater at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and likes to think that every facet of life is a continuation of studying the art of theater.
Jack
Stage Manager
STAGE MANAGER.
DIRECTOR.
Jack Underwood (he/him) is a New York–based director, stage manager and 2025 graduate of The New School’s Dramatic Arts BFA Program. His work spans stage management, production and technical theatre, with credits including Wayne’s Gun, Our Price to Pay, Baby Boy, Before the Flood, The Passion of Miss de Marco, Unemployed Stenographer, These Shining Lives and I Am the Wolf.
For I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard, Jack serves as Stage Manager, coordinating the technical running of the production while also contributing to the lighting design and operating lighting and sound during performances. His role places him at the centre of the show’s live execution, helping shape its rhythm, atmosphere and technical precision from rehearsal through performance.
Jack’s work combines creative and technical disciplines, giving him a broad perspective on how performance, design and stage management come together in live theatre. You can follow his work at jackroseunderwood.com
Jamie
Intimacy Director
INTIMACYDIRECTOR.
Jamie Monahan is a certified intimacy coordinator (film/TV/audio) and intimacy director (theater). Jamie completed IDC's Intimacy Coordinator training, fostering intimate, safe spaces for performers. She is currently listed on the SAG-AFTRA Intimacy Coordinator Registry. Jamie intimacy coordinated the short films: Only The Dead, In The Night, Healing Tree, Betty Bites Back and The Big 3-Oh, to name a few. She also intimacy coordinated the award-winning feature film Escaping Ohio and I'll Find You. Jamie intimacy directed the world premieres of Powerhouse and You & Me Off-Broadway. She intimacy directed Grease at The Wilton Playshop, 9 to 5 at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre and she completed her fourth year as resident intimacy director and adjunct professor at Fairfield University. Jamie has worked on 90 productions as an intimacy professional as of this bio's submission. Follow her journey at @jmemonahan for all socials!
I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service. www.concordtheatricals.com
I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD was developed during a residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference (Preston Whiteway, Executive Director; Wendy Goldberg, Artistic Director) in 2014. World Presented Premiere by Atlantic Theater Company, New York City, 2015
Halley Feiffer
8th Day Whisper production presents Halley Feiffer’s I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD at The Brick Theatre as part of Factory Series @ Chain Theatre.
*Equity approved showcase, equity member appearing with permission of Actors Equity Association without benefit of an equity contract in this Off Off Broadway production.
