Two-time Emmy and Tony Award-winner Judith Light, multiple Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award nominee Vanessa Williams, stage and screen star Lois Smith, and Wilson Bethel will join the cast of the New York City premiere of Stan Zimmerman’s Right Before I Go., a benefit for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org) and JED Foundation (JEDFoundation.org).
Judith Light
Directed by Michael Wilson, Right Before I Go. will be performed as a one-night-only benefit on Monday, December 4, 2017, at Town Hall (123 W 43rd Street). Additional casting includes Elizabeth Ashley, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Lacey, Jennifer Lim, Maulik Pancholy, and Raviv Ullman.
Judith Light is known for her extensive body of work on stage, in television, and film. She currently stars in Amazon Prime’s Gold Globe-winning series, “Transparent,” for which she has received two Emmy nominations. On stage she received a Tony nomination for the play Lombardi, followed by two consecutive Tony Award wins for the plays Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties. Light starred in the television series “Who’s the Boss,” and received two consecutive Emmy Awards for her work on “One Life to Live.” She has been a longtime advocate in the fight to end HIV/AIDS and has been a champion for LGBTQ and human rights.
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today. Having sold millions of records worldwide, Ms. Williams has also scored numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts. Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate including four Emmy nominations, eleven Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, three SAG award nominations, seven NAACP Image Awards and three Satellite Awards. Her platinum single “Colors of the Wind,” from the Disney film Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
Lois Smith recently appeared in both the feature film and Playwrights Horizons production of Marjorie Prime, and can also currently be seen in the feature “Lady Bird.” She appeared at the Signature in Annie Baker’s John, for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination; Tony Kushner’s The Illusion; and Horton Foote’s The Old Friends and The Trip to Bountiful, winning many awards for the latter. Other favorite stage roles include The Grapes of Wrath and Buried Child (Tony nominations for both). Smith has been seen in countless films, including “East of Eden,” “Minority Report,” “Fatal Attraction,” and “Four Friends.” Television credits include “Sneaky Pete,” “Younger,” “Blacklist,” “Grace & Frankie,” and “True Blood.”
Wilson Bethel is best known for his roles as Wade Kinsella on “Hart of Dixie” and as Ryder Callahan on the CBS daytime soap opera “The Young and the Restless.” He is also the star and creator of the web series “Stupid Hype” on CW’s new online platform CWD.
Right Before I Go. brings to life the last words of those lost to suicide, including the heartsick, bullied, veterans, mentally ill and the achingly lonely. This poignant and surprisingly light play invokes a raw and authentic approach to storytelling in an effort to help broaden public perspective of suicide, eliminate the stigma associated with depression, and strengthen the relationship between survivors and those struggling every day. Right Before I Go. made its world premiere as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015, where it received rave reviews.
A student panel will take place prior to the performance, starting at 6:30 p.m. Open to high school and college student groups attending the performance, the panel will include representatives from each of the beneficiary organizations (AFSP.org and JEDFoundation.org) along with a trained representative from the Traumatic Loss Coalition (TLC) and Wendy Sefcik of Remembering TJ.
Right Before I Go.
Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street, NYC
December 4
6:30 p.m. – Student Panel/Talk Back
7 p.m. – VIP Reception
8 p.m. – Performance