Patrick Page, Peppermint and More to Star in Stan Zimmerman's RIGHT BEFORE I GO at The Tank

The Tank has revealed the casts for a limited four performance run of Stan Zimmerman's suicide awareness play, Right before I go. Joining Zimmerman (Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls), who's playing the "Narrator" for Week 1, will be Wendie Malick (Shrinking, Hot in Cleveland) Patrick Page (Hadestown, The Gilded Age), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), and Peppermint (RuPaul's Drag Race). Week 2 cast, along with Zimmerman, will be Hill Harper (The Good Doctor), Marilu Henner (Taxi), Troy Iwata (The Daily Show) and Pooya Mohseni (English). 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. It will be directed by The Tank's Artistic Director Meghan Finn and performed on two consecutive Sunday and Monday nights @7pm in September (Suicide Prevention Month) at NYC's The Tank theatre. Performance dates are September 7, 8, 14, 15. 

Following the one-hour performance will be a Talk Back moderated Week 1 by NYC Councilman Erik Bottcher and Week 2 by writer Keli Goff (And Just Like That). A local mental health professional will also participate in each Talk Back/Q&A. 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 Tank is located at 312 W. 36th St. NYC, NY 10018. The theatre can be reached at (212) 563-6269.

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.

"The Tank is humbled to support Stan Zimmerman and his brave work in this piece, particularly during National Suicide Prevention Month. We look forward to welcoming this company of incredible actors to our stages this September.", says Meghan Finn, Artistic Director of The Tank.

RIGHT BEFORE I GO is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.trwshows.com

CREATIVE TEAM:

Stan Zimmerman (PLAYWRIGHT/NARRATOR-Weeks 1 & 2) is a man of many mediums. He's earned two WGA nominations for Best Comedy Writing - The Golden Girls and Roseanne (the infamous lesbian kiss episode). Stan's also written and produced on Gilmore Girls, co-created the Lifetime sitcom, Rita Rocks, wrote on both Brady Bunch movies and rewrote the ABC-TV movie of Annie. Stan has a BFA- Drama from NYU/Circle-in-the-Square and has directed LA productions of The Diary of Anne Frank, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, A Tuna Christmas, Gemini and his original plays -- Meet & Greet, Knife to the Heart, Have a Good One, and Yes Virginia (also at Judson Theatre - Pinehurst, NC and North Street Playhouse - Onancock, VA). Stan directed Off-Broadway's Hyprov (Daryl Roth Theatre). TRWplays has published and licensed his works: Yes Virginia, Silver Foxes and his suicide awareness play, Right Before I Go., which he performs in across the U.S. Zimmerman & Berg wrote the Lifetime hit Christmas movie, Ladies of the 80's: A Divas Christmas. Stan's memoir, "The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore" was released by Indigo River Publishing. He's appeared on numerous podcasts, national morning shows, and as the "Bartender" on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live to promote it. Stan was the host/showrunner on Bravo's Situation:Comedy, a reality show produced by Sean Hayes.

Meghan Finn (DIRECTOR) is the critically-acclaimed Artistic Director of The Tank. She has directed over 50 fully-staged productions. In 2024, she directed the OBIE Award winning KARA & EMMA & BARBARA & MIRANDA as well as A Trojan Woman at Luna-Stage/">Luna Stage, the Mac Belfast and the King's Head Theatre in London (presented at Powerhouse Theater July 2025). Upcoming World Premieres: Lili/Darwin at The Tank August 2025 and Can't Drink Salt Water by Kendra Mylnechuk Potter at Montana Rep in 2026. She is a 2024 recipient of the David Prize for Extraordinary New Yorkers, 2021 Lucille Lortel Visionary Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women and accepted a 2020 OBIE Award for The Tank.

CAST-WEEK1(SEPT 7 & 8):

Wendie Malick (WOMAN) has graced our screens with an illustrious film and television career for decades. She received 4 Cable Ace Awards for her role in HBO's groundbreaking comedy, Dream On, and garnered a Golden Globe and 2 Emmy nominations for her iconic role, Nina Van Horn, in Just Shoot Me!. Malick also starred in Hot in Cleveland, where she and her castmates earned a People's Choice Award, and a SAG nomination for Best Ensemble. Other series include Night Court, Frasier, Big Day, Good Company, and Rush Hour, as well as recurring roles on The Ranch, American Housewife, This is Us, Pitch, Darrow and Darrow, and NYPD Blue. Malick is currently recurring on Physical, Young Sheldon and opposite Harrison Ford on the Emmy nominated Apple TV+ series, Shrinking and starring in Hallmark's The Chicken Sisters. Malick appeared in the last season of Dear White People, and made guest appearances on Billions, Mom, Seinfeld, Grace and Frankie, CSI, LA Law, The X Files and many more. Animated tv credits include Jimmy Neutron, SpongeBob Squarepants, Bojack Horsemean (Annie nomination), Rugrats, and the Peabody award winning show, The Owl House. Big screen credits include: Endings, Beginnings, Adventureland, Fifty-Nothing, Jerome, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Waiting, Racing Stripes, The American President, Trojan Wars, Raising Genius, Mr. Mikes Mondo Video, A Little Sex, The Goods, Bugsy, The Emperor's New Groove, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, The Surrogate, Mack and Rita, About Fate, The Re-Education of Molly Singer, 7000 Miles and Mother of All Shows.

On stage, Malick's work includes: Burleigh Grimes, North Shore Fish (Off-Broadway), Big Night (Kirk Douglas Theater), The Engagement Party and The Underpants (Geffen), Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Helen Gahagan Douglas (Wooly Mammoth), Santaland Diaries (Coast Playhouse), Love Letters (Laguna Playhouse), The Guys (Studio Arena), Blithe Spirit and What is the Cause of Thunder (Williamstown) and Closure (New Jersey Rep). Malick is on the Board of the Environmental Media Association, and the Advisory Board of Return to Freedom, a wild horse sanctuary and advocacy group. Through their charitable gift fun, "A Drop in the Bucket", she and her husband, Richard Erickson, support a medical center in Congo. They live on a ranch in the Santa Monica mountains with 2 dogs, 3 horses, and a miniature donkey.

Patrick Page (MAN) received a Tony Award nomination and a Grammy Award for his work in Hadestown on Broadway having also starred in the Off-Broadway, Canadian, and West End and National Theatre productions. He is a veteran of fifteen Broadway shows including: Valentina in Casa Valentina, The Inquisitor in Saint Joan, De Guiche in Jamie Lloyd's Cyrano de Bergerac (with Douglas Hodge), Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, King Henry in A Man for All Seasons (with Frank Langella), Decius Brutus in Julius Caesar (with Denzel Washington), Scar in The Lion King, The Grinch in Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Buckley in A Time to Kill, and multiple roles in Spring Awakening, and The Kentucky Cycle. Off Broadway: Received the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his one-man tour de force All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Created the Villain. Also, the title role in Cymbeline, and Steven Berkoff's Richard II for New York Shakespeare Festival. Regional: Page created the role of Dom Claude Frollo in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame at La Jolla Playhouse. He is an Associate Artist of the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, D.C. where roles include King Lear, Iago, Coriolanus, Prospero, Macbeth, and Claudius; and The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where he played Cyrano and Malvolio. Film: Spirited, In the Heights, Estella Scrooge, The Sixth Reel. TV: Clay on The Gilded Age; Kratt on Schmigadoon; recurring roles on Elementary, Madam Secretary, Flesh and Bone, Big Mouth, and Etoile. Guest starring roles on Evil, NCIS: New Orleans, The Good Wife, The Blacklist, Chicago P.D., Law and Order: S.V.U, etc. He is currently writing a book based on All the Devils Are Here, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2026. Page is married to actress and TV host Paige Davis. www.patrickpageonline.com @pagepatrick

Maulik Pancholy (YOUNG MAN) is an award-winning actor, author, and activist. His acting career has spanned hit television shows (30 Rock, Weeds, Only Murders in the Building and many others); animated favorites (Phineas and Ferb, Sanjay and Craig); as well as the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage (Grand Horizons, It's Only A Play, Good for Otto). He recently completed filming on the Jesse Eisenberg-directed feature film No One Cares. His debut novel, The Best At It (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins), received the Stonewall Honor. His sophomore novel, Nikhil Out Loud (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins), won the Lambda Literary Award for middle grade literature and was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. He is currently penning his third novel, a YA romance titled Will They, Won't They (Kokila/Penguin Young Readers), which is slated for a Summer 2026 release. He created, co-wrote and stars in the Audible Original audio series Murder at the Patel Motel. Pancholy served on President Obama's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and he cofounded the anti-bullying nonprofit ActToChange.org, which works to build a world where all young people can celebrate their identities.

PEPPERMINT (YOUNG WOMAN) rose to fame as the first out trans contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9, finishing as runner-up. She then made history as the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway in Head Over Heels. Her recent projects include roles in Netflix's Survival of the Thickest, Peacock's The Traitors, Hulu's Fire Island, and various TV series. She has hosted and presented at the GLAAD Media Awards and co-hosts the Black Queer Town Hall podcast. Peppermint is also an activist, serving as the ACLU's first Artist Ambassador for Trans Justice and raising funds for LGBTQ+ organizations. She has been recognized for her work with award nominations and honors, including a GLAAD Media Award nomination, a "Queeroes" award, and a spot on Out magazine's "OUT100" list.

Erik Bottcher (MODERATOR) is a dedicated public servant and activist who has devoted his life to progressive causes and to the betterment of the community he loves. In 2021, he was elected to represent New York City Council District 3, which includes the neighborhoods of the West Village, Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Times Square,Hudson Square, Flatiron, and the Garment District. He sees his mission as simple yet vital: making New York City a better place to live. Growing up in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains as the only gay person he knew, Erik's personal struggles with depression sparked in him a lifelong dedication to helping the most marginalized members of our society. His career in public service began in 2009 as the LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS Community Liaison in the City Council's community outreach unit, where he organized grassroots campaigns on issues including hate crimes, transgender rights, housing for people with HIV/AIDS, and marriage equality. Erik then served as the statewide LGBTQ Community Liaison in the governor's office, where he helped organize the fight for marriage equality in New York State, working with activists from Buffalo to Montauk in an unprecedented grassroots campaign to garner support for the Marriage Equality Act.

CAST - WEEK 2 (SEPT 14 & 15):

Hill Harper (MAN) is a humanitarian, an award-winning actor, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. Harper starred in ABC's #1 television drama, The Good Doctor, as well as in numerous television and film projects including CSI:NY, He Got Game and Lackawanna Blues. Dr. Harper has served as the National Spokesperson for several leading social justice organizations including The Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Innocence Project, One Fair Wage; and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the National Black Bank Fund and was named Honorary National Co-Chair of the Redevelopment of Black Wall Street. President Obama appointed Harper to the President's Cancer Panel, where he contributed to shaping cancer policy recommendations to the White House.

Additionally, Dr. Harper has authored four New York Times bestsellers: Letters to a Young Brother, Letters to a Young Sister, Letters to an Incarcerated Brother, The Conversation and his award-winning book, The Wealth Cure. that addresses ways to solve the racial wealth gap. Letters to a Young Brother and was named "Best Book for Young Adults" by the American Library Association. Harper has been recognized with seven NAACP Image Awards, for his writing and acting. As an extension of his empowerment books, Dr. Harper founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation and established The Pierce and Hill Harper Arts Foundation. Dr. Harper graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and was named Valedictorian of his department. Dr. Harper then graduated with a J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School, as well as with a Master's Degree with honors from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He holds eleven honorary doctoral degrees including doctorates from Howard University, Providence College, and Dillard University. As an investor and business owner, Dr. Harper owns The Roasting Plant, a successful coffee franchise in downtown Detroit, is co-founder of A-Frame Brands and is co-owner of the award- winning New Orleans hotel, International House. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors of LOVED01, John Legend's successful skincare brand. Dr. Harper owns several commercial and residential rental properties in Detroit, Los Angeles and Newark, NJ. Hill performed this role with Zimmerman for a benefit at Detroit's Cass Tech in 2021.

Marilu Henner (WOMAN), a five-time Golden Globe nominee, has done it all. Broadway: Gettin' the Band Back Together, Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Chicago, Social Security, Pal Joey, Over Here, Grease; National Tours: Annie Get Your Gun, (Jefferson Award), Chicago, Grease; Off-Broadway: My First Ex-Husband, The Journals of Adam & Eve, Madwomen of the West (NYC, LA, London), 79 films: LA Story, Noises Off, Hammett, Imperfections, etc. and 31 Hallmark movies; Emmy Award winning sitcoms: TAXI and Evening Shade; numerous TV appearances including: The Neighborhood, Grey's Anatomy, CSI Los Angeles, Two and a Half Men, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Crazy Ones and Brooklyn 99.

A NY Times best-selling author of 10 books, Marilu has spoken before Congress 11 times and lectures throughout the country. Henner is one of 12 people documented with HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) and was the subject of a 5- part special on 60 Minutes and served as the consultant on the CBS series Unforgettable during it's 5-year run. She is currently the subject of a new documentary on memory produced by the award-winning Calliope Pictures.

Marilu was in the original Chicago production of Grease, creating the role of Marty. She also sits on the board of Bucks County Playhouse where she recreated her Broadway role in The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, starred in Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike with Christopher Durang, and recently reprised her role as Belinda in Noises Off and was nominated for a Theatre World Award Regional. Marily hosted and executive produced 2 talk shows (Marilu, Shape Up Your Life) and the nationally syndicated radio show, The Marilu Henner Show and has been a guest on thousands of talks shows, earning her the title "Talk Show Guest of the Year" several years in a row. Henner competed on Celebrity Apprentice (2008), Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars (2013) and Dancing with the Stars (2016). Currently hosting the podcast Between the Sheets with Marilu Henner, she can be seen this year in indie films (Miss Valentine, Rock & Doris Try to Write a Movie, Higher Love), and in Hallmark's Aurora Teagarden prequel. She can also be heard as the English dub in 23 Netflix International projects and tours the country in her critically acclaimed one woman show, Music & Memories with Marilu Henner! Marilu is married to Michael Brown, CEO of BrownTrout Publishers and is the proud mother of Nick (award winning director of Theatre Camp) and Joey Lieberman (Emmy winning producer for NBC Sports).

Troy Iwata (YOUNG MAN) joined Comedy Central's The Daily Show as a new correspondent and in the same year, was named in Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch of 2024. He stars in the hit independent film Summoning Sylvia, a horror-comedy alongside Michael Urie and Frankie Grande, the film still holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Troy guest starred on Netflix's The Perfect Couple opposite Nicole Kidman, he recurred on Apple TV+'s limited series Wecrashed alongside Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway and also starred in the Netflix series, Dash & Lily, which garnered 12 Emmy nominations. He made his Broadway debut in the viral sensation Be More Chill in 2019 and his voice can be heard on multiple musical theatre albums including the film soundtrack Wicked: Part 1. Other TV credits include roles on New Amsterdam (NBC), Katy Keene (The CW), Ray Donovan (Showtime), Tell Me A Story (CBS), Quantico (ABC), and Time After Time (ABC).

Pooya Mohseni (YOUNG WOMAN) is an Iranian American actor, writer, filmmaker and transgender activist. She made her Broadway debut in Sanaz Toossi's Pulitzer winning play English at the Roundabout Theater. Her stage credits include an obie winning performance in English's off-Broadway run (Atlantic Theater Company & The Old Globe Theater), The Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot (Playwrights Horizons), The Sex Party (Menier Chocolate Factory) in London, She,He,Me (National Queer Theater), Our Town (Pride Plays), Galatea (The WP Project), The Good Muslim (EST) and the Audible production of Chonburi Hotel & The Butterfly Club (Williamstown Theater Festival). Her film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, The Walking Dead: Dead City, Big Dogs, Falling Water, Madam Secretary, Terrifier, The Arrival and See You Then.

Keli Goff (MODERATOR) was nominated for two News and Documentary Emmy Awards for her work on the Netflix documentary Reversing Roe, which chronicled America's battles over abortion. As a television writer, she won a 2016 NAACP Image Award for her episode of the series Being Mary Jane, titled, "Sparrow," which dealt with the aftermath of a suicide. She was also a writer and producer on the drama Mayor of Kingstown and the dramedy, And Just Like That. As a journalist and essayist, she has been published in the magazines Vogue and New York, and currently writes for The Daily Beast and The Hollywood Reporter.

*LAST MINUTE CAST CHANGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO AVAILABILITY MENTAL HEALTH PROFFESIONALS:

OLIVIA VERHULST, LMHC, PMH-C (Week 1) is a licensed Psychotherapist and Consultant, Media/News and TV expert contributor, Forbes Health Advisor, Certified Perinatal Mental Health Provide, and Adjunct Professor at NYU. She is certified to provide telehealth in NY, NJ and Florida. Olivia is also a Certified Parental Leave Coach for companies and organizations. Her media contributions include: Pix 11 NY Living (where she met Zimmerman), NBC, News 12 'Be Well', News 12 Westchester, NECN NBC, Oprah Daily, Forbes, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Women's Health, Shape, Wondermind, Real Simple, Thrive Global, The Skimm, Canvas8, New Beauty Magazine, Wake Up with Marcie, and more.

DR. NATHILEE CALDEIRA (Week 2) is a clinical psychologist, licensed in New York and registered to provide telehealth services in New Jersey and Florida. She is the founder and director of Let's Talk Psychological Wellness, P.C., a group private practice in New York, serving adults struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and PTSD, as they navigate careers and relationships. Dr Caldeira has served as a clinical psychologist and research scientist at New York area hospitals, including Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University, New York University School of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center and Martin Army Hospital (United States Army). She has provided trauma interventions to survivors of rape, and intimate partner violence at the Women's Health Project, The Trauma and Addictions Program at City College of New York and at the Posttraumatic Stress Research Program at New York University Medical Center. She has worked as a clinical psychologist at the World Trade Center Health Program, Bellevue Hospital treating survivors of 9/11, served as a staff clinical psychologist for the United States Army treating soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and assessed veterans of the Vietnam war for posttraumatic symptoms. She has also served as a staff psychologist at the Columbia University Medical Center, Student Mental Health Center.

UNDERSTUDIES: Madeline Grey DEFREECE (YOUNG WOMAN), L JAMES (YOUNG MAN), MAGGIE REED (WOMAN), Manny Urena (MAN)

*Show runs one hour with a Talk Back to follow (no intermission)