Rapp will appear in both the 8 and 10 PM performances of the new play, which explores the lives of struggling actors. Sides — which plays The Culture Project's home on Bleecker Street — will end its limited engagement Oct. 27.

Sekiya Billman, Cindy Cheung, Paul H. Juhn, Peter Kim, Hoon Lee and Rodney To are the authors of Sides, which features direction by Anne Kauffman. The cast comprises Billman, Jane Cho, Juhn, Kim, Lee and To, and the creative team also includes David Korins (set design), John-Paul Szczepanski (lighting design) and Elizabeth Flauto (costume design).

Sides: The Fear Is Real, according to production notes, "follows six, hopeful actors in their quest for entertainment employment through true life audition nightmares. Terrible scripts, psychotic casting directors, and competitive colleagues all stand in their way. In a series of comedic vignettes and scenes, these brave actors face their fears and almost triumph." The production previously played a sold-out run at P.S. 122 and won the Best Ensemble Award at 2003's New York International Fringe Festival.

Anthony Rapp created the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway and London productions of Rent. His other theatrical credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Precious Sons; Six Degrees of Separation; Bright Lights, Big City; Raised in Captivity; Trafficking in Broken Hearts; Youth Is Wasted; Sophistry; and The Destiny of Me. Rapp's film credits feature roles in "A Beautiful Mind," "Adventures in Babysitting," "School Ties," "Dazed and Confused" and "Six Degrees of Separation."

Sides plays Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 PM, Fridays at 8 and 10 PM, Saturdays at 7 and 10 PM and Sundays at 7 PM. Tickets, priced $28-$42, are available by calling (212) 307-4100 or by visiting the Culture Project box office at 45 Bleecker Street.