The Rattlestick season opener began previews Sept. 14 and officially opened Sept. 20 for a run originally scheduled through Oct. 24. Michael Garcés staged the work at the Humana Festival and returns for the Rattlestick run.

Finer Noble Gases follows the isolation of characters lost amid pop culture, pain and early adulthood. The work features a five-member cast that includes Connor Barrett and members of the rock band LESS (Rob Beitzel, Michael Chernus, Ray Rizzo and Paul Sparks).

The design team includes Van Santvoord (set), Elizabeth Hope Clancy (costume), Ben Stanton (lighting) and Eric Shim (sound).

Guest bands will perform following the Friday or Saturday evening performances for the 6-week run. Stage rockers Alice Ripley (Side Show) and Michael Cerveris (Assassins) will perform among the bands (subject to change) which are as follows: King of France (10/15), Cerveris (10/16), Felix MacTeigue (10/22), Nervous Cabaret 10/23).

Playwright Rapp has penned Blackbird, Gompers, Bingo with the Indians, Stone Cold Dead Serious, Trueblinka and Nocturne — many of which cast his brother, Rent's Anthony Rapp. Director Garcés recently staged The Triple Happiness (Second Stage) and Light Raise the Roof (New York Theatre Workshop). Other credits include Force Continuum, (Atlantic Theatre Company), Recent Tragic Events (Playwrights Horizons) and Havana is Waiting (The Cherry Lane).

Also featured in the Rattlestick season include Erik Jendresen's The Killing of Michael Malloy (Jan.-Feb. 2005) and the Michael Friedman-Shaun Cunningham musical God Hates the Irish, or The Ballad of Armless Johnny (April-May 2005).

New York City's Rattlestick Theatre enjoyed success in the 2003 season with the world premiere staging of Jonathan Tolins' The Last Sunday in June which transferred to an Off-Broadway run at the Century Center. Other recent works include David Folwell's dark comedy Boise and Adam Bock's Five Flights starring Alice Ripley (Side Show).

For tickets to Finer Noble Gases, at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place (between West 11th and Perry St.), call (212) 868-4444. For more information, visit www.rattlestick.org.