The Tank has added two more performances of Stan Zimmerman‘s suicide awareness play, Right before I go. Seth Rudetsky (Disaster) will take over the role of “Narrator”, previous played by playwright Zimmerman (Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls). Joining Rudetsky will be Nik Dodani (Atypical), Ward Horton (The Gilded Age), Juliana Joel (Raven’s Home) and Christine Taylor (The Brady Bunch Movie). The show incorporates real suicide notes from well-known people to war veterans, LGBTQ+ members and kids that were bullied, but ultimately ending on a message of hope. The Week 3 cast will also be directed by The Tank’s Artistic Director Meghan Finn and performed on Sunday and Monday nights at 7pm September 21 & 22 at The Tank theatre in NYC. The show now runs for six shows, from September 7-22 during Suicide Prevention Month.
Following the one-hour performance will be a Talk Back moderated for the extension by actor/host Paige Davis (Trading Spaces, Chicago). Olivia Verhulst will return from Week 1 as the local mental health professional. The play is a benefit for SL24 Unlocke the Light, a foundation dedicated to empowering young people by providing them with tools, education, and resources needed to understand mental health.
Tickets are $20 (General Admission) and $50 (VIP, which includes Reserved Seating and beverage).
The play originated ten years ago at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In 2017, Michael Wilson directed an All-Star benefit reading at NYC’s Town Hall with a cast that included Judith Light, Ellen Burstyn, Amber Tamblyn, and many more. Stan re-wrote the play, adding a “Narrator” character, and has been performing in it around the U.S. with high school and college students, and also established actors such as Vanessa Williams, Blair Underwood, Wilson Cruz, Virginia Madsen, etc. This will be Stan’s Off-Broadway debut as playwright and actor with Right before I go
SL24 is honored to be the beneficiary of this thoughtful and impactful production of Right before I go. We so appreciate the work of Stan Zimmerman and the actors to bring this subject matter to the forefront in an engaging manner. SL24 is committed to removing the stigma of mental illness and then helping those find resources and supporting people in their journey. This play will achieve this mission.”, Chris Locke, SL24 co-founder.
The cast for Week 2 (September 14 & 15) now includes Emily Kuroda (Gilmore Girls) and Danny Pintauro (Who’s the Boss?). They join Zimmerman (as the Narrator), Hill Harper (The Good Doctor) and Pooya Mohseni (English) and writer Keli Goff (The Daily Beast) moderating the Talk Back with mental health professional, Dr. Nathalie Caldeira. Week 1 cast (September 7 & 8) remains the same, Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland, Shrinking), Patrick Page (The Gilded Age, Hadestown), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and Zimmerman as the “Narrator”. City Councilman Erik Bottcher moderates the Talk Back.
