Stan Zimmerman's play Right Before I Go will get a four-performance Off-Broadway run at The Tank to mark Suicide Prevention Month. Performances will run September 7-8 and 14-15 with different casts each week. Proceeds from the performances will benefit SL24 Unlocke the Light, and their work to arm young people with the tools needed to understand mental health.
Zimmerman himself (Gilmore Girls) will serve as the narrator for all performances, joined September 7-8 by Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland), Patrick Page (Hadestown), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), and Peppermint (RuPaul's Drag Race). For performances September 14-15, Zimmerman will be joined by Hill Harper (The Good Doctor), Marilu Henner (Taxi), Troy Iwata (The Daily Show), and Pooya Mohseni (English).
Performances will be followed by talkbacks, with the first week's moderated by NYC Councilman Erik Bottcher and the second's by And Just Like That writer Keli Goff. Also featured will be a local mental health professional.
The work, which premiered at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival, collects real suicide notes from war veterans, bullied kids, celebrities, and more, ultimately building to a message of hope.
“The Tank is humbled to support Stan Zimmerman and his brave work in this piece, particularly during National Suicide Prevention Month," says Tank Artistic Director Meghan Finn in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming this company of incredible actors to our stages this September."
Zimmerman has written scripts for TV series including The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Gilmore Girls, and served as executive producer of the 2008 series Rita Rocks. He was also co-writer for the 1996 feature film A Very Brady Sequel. As a director, Zimmerman helmed Off-Broadway's recent Hyprov. He released a memoir, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore, last year.
This performance of Right Before I Go is being licensed by TRWPlays, which also represents Zimmerman's Yes Virginia and Silver Foxes.
Tickets are at TheTankNYC.org.