Kristen Johnston to Star in Atlantic's Scarcity World Premiere

By Kenneth Jones
July 30, 2007

The world premiere of Lucy Thurber's Scarcity, a drama of familial loyalty, class status and personal aspirations, starts Aug. 29 at the Atlantic Theater Company's Off-Broadway home, with Kristen Johnston among cast members.

The new work (Thurber's Atlantic debut) opens Sept. 20 for a run through Oct. 14. The troupers directed by Jackson Gay will include Atlantic members Kristen Johnston ("Third Rock From the Sun," Atlantic's The Lights), Maggie Kiley (Atlantic's The Lesson, Frame 312) and Todd Weeks (Atlantic's The Voysey Inheritance, Broadway's Full Monty) and Meredith Brandt, Jesse Eisenberg ("The Squid and the Whale"), Miriam Shor (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Michael T. Weiss (NBC's "The Pretender," the feature film "Jeffrey").

Performances will play Atlantic Theater Company at the Linda Gross Theater, 336 W. 20th Street.

"Set in rural western Massachusetts, Scarcity tells the tale of two siblings whose aspirations to escape the confines of poverty and small town life come into direct conflict with their sense of family responsibility," according to Atlantic notes. "When 16-year-old Billy is afforded an opportunity to change schools and move out of town by an unusually attentive young teacher, his family starts to unravel around him. In this raw, emotionally rich world premiere new drama from playwright Lucy Thurber explores the stark reality of how class in America shapes our very image of ourselves."

Thurber's play Stay was presented Off-Broadway last season; her other plays include Where We're Born, Ashville, Killers and Other Family and Monstrosity. Jackson Gay returns to Atlantic, where she directed the Pulitzer Prize finalist production of Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and Kia Corthron's Master Disaster for the 10x20 one act festival at Atlantic Stage 2.

The design team features scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Ilona Somogyi, lighting design by Jeff Lyons and sound design by Daniel Baker.

Scarcity will play will play Tuesday through Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM.

Tickets for main stage productions are $55 and available by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or at ticketcentral.com.

For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.