RIGHT BEFORE I GO Creative Team Addresses Cast Departures at Soho Theatre
Playwright Stan Zimmerman says the production uses a revolving cast and remains focused on suicide prevention.
Following the departure of Gerard McCarthy after the addition of Maureen Lipman from the cast of Right before i go, the suicide awareness play opening on Saturday at Soho Theatre, the creative team has released the below statement.
"We are enormously proud of Right Before I Go, which has just completed a hugely successful run in Edinburgh, earning five-star reviews and — more importantly to us — profoundly moving audiences with its unflinching, compassionate exploration of suicide, bullying and mental health.
We are aware of recent coverage regarding the departure of two of our actors from the production. As a company, we have always kept political affiliation separate from artistic collaboration, and we do not vet performers on the basis of their personal or political views. We understand that our cast and collaborators hold a wide range of perspectives, including on deeply personal and difficult subjects, and we respect the sincerity behind their decisions.
Right Before I Go will go on. Suicide and mental health affect people across every background and every political divide, and we believe the urgent work of raising awareness and saving lives is more important than our differences. If anything, we believe that the ability to stand together — even alongside people we may not agree with — for a cause bigger than any one of us is itself an expression of the common humanity this play is about.
We remain fully committed to the safety, wellbeing and support of every member of our cast and creative team throughout this run.
Right Before I Go is a not-for-profit endeavour, and every member of our creative team — cast, crew and collaborators alike — is donating their time and talent because they believe in what this play can do.
We are deeply grateful to our full company for their continued dedication, and we invite audiences to join us for Right Before I Go — a play about our shared will to live, and to help others do the same."
Personally from Stan Zimmerman:
“My play has never been about one actor. Its purpose has always been to raise awareness about suicide and save lives. It already has and I'm so proud of that. That's why we all must stay laser focused on that goal. And to clear the record, we use a revolving cast. Mr. McCarthy was never asked to appear on the same performance date as Dame Maureen Lipman,” says Zimmerman, playwright and performer of Right before I go.
From Stan Zimmerman (writer of Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls), Right before I go. will transfer to London's Soho Theatre for a limited time from 5-10 September following its hit run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The suicide awareness play highlights the raw struggles of people from all walks of life that have been impacted by suicide. Right before I go. uses real suicide notes of celebrities, veterans, bullied teens, those identifying as LGBTQ+, and those who have survived attempts. The play is followed by a talkback between the cast, audience and a local mental health professional.
September is Suicide Awareness Month, and the play is part of awareness raising activities during the month, including World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.
“After the suicide death of my good friend, Kevin Gill, I was at a loss about how to process this. Seeing so much shame around the topic, I decided to create a play in the vein of The Vagina Monologues, easily produced with actors on stools, reading the script from music stands. My hope is that this will create much needed discussion about a very complicated issue. I'm thrilled that London audiences will get the chance to see the show straight after our Edinburgh festival run, particularly during September, which is World Suicide Awareness Month,” said writer and actor, Stan Zimmerman.
Right before I go. has travelled across the USA, including a run in NYC at The Tank, featuring stars including Vanessa Williams, Olly Alexander, Christine Taylor and Patrick Page. At Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Stan Zimmerman was joined by Wendie Malick and Emily Kuroda in a critically acclaimed run. The London transfer is produced by Rodrigo Jorge for Dreamatorium Entertainment, and co-produced by Joan Lane for Wild Thyme Productions.
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