New Cast Announced For THE WENDY CHRONICLES: A Three-Play Tribute To Wendy Wasserstein From Jewish Women's Theatre And Pop-Up Playhouse

Director/Producer Stan Zimmerman is putting the finishing touches on The Wendy Chronicles with the casting of Academy Award nominee Michael Lerner, two-time Emmy nominated Mindy Sterling and five other up and coming film and television actors -- ALLIE GONINO, Danny Gomez, Melody Peng, Brittannie Bohman and Raviv Ullman.

They join an all-star ensemble that includes Lucy DeVito (Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Andrea Bowen (Desperate Housewives), Amanda Bearse (Married with Children), and Olivia Hack (Gilmore Girls). Mindy Cohn (Facts of Life) will be reading stage directions. Ullman and Gonino are reuniting with director Zimmerman after being in his Lifetime sitcom, Rita Rocks.

The Wendy Chronicles will be presented on two Sundays in January when theatre-goers at The Braid will be treated to the rare opportunity of seeing a three-play trajectory of Wasserstein's pioneering work. Jewish Women's Theatre in Santa Monica is co-producing the unique show in cooperation with Zimmerman and Pop-Up Playhouse.

On January 5 and January 12, Jewish Women's Theatre (JWT) and Pop-Up Playhouse will present a trifecta of Wasserstein's work. Tickers for Uncommon Women & Others (at 12:30 p.m.), Isn't It Romantic (4:00 p.m.), and the Pulitzer Prize winning The Heidi Chronicles (7:30 p.m.) may be purchased individually or in multiple show packages at: www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.

Tickets for Uncommon Women and Isn't It Romantic are $50. The Heidi Chronicles is $60 and includes post show Talk Backs and VIP receptions on both January 5 and January 12.

"These cast additions will bring their illustrious careers to The Braid stage to further help us pay tribute to Wendy Wasserstein, an iconic theatre voice who was silenced far too early," Zimmerman said. "This will be the first time these three legendary plays will be performed in one day, in repertory. Not only will audiences get to watch the growth of an important playwright through her words, they will also get to see some of their favorite actors playing multiple roles."

The new cast members are:

Michael Lerner (SIMON BLUMBERG - Isn't It Romantic) has had an illustrious career spanning over 50 years in film, television and theater and is an Academy Award nominated actor for his supporting role in the Coen Brothers' film, Barton Fink. He will next be seen in Steven J. Wolfe's feature film Sallywood. He previously appeared in the IFC series Maron, Adult Swim's Children's Hospital, and CBS's The Good Wife. Lerner has had notable roles in features such as Godzilla, Elf, and X-Men: Days of Futures Past as well as recurring roles in hit television shows such as Glee, Law & Order: SVU, Kingdom Hospital, Clueless, and Hill Street Blues. He has worked with over a dozen of the industry's top filmmakers such as Jon Favreau, Ethan and Joel Coen, Woody Allen, Kenny Ortega, Roland Emmerich, Ken Kwapis, John Hamburg and Tarsem Singh, to name a few.

Mindy Sterling (MRS. PLUMM - Uncommon Women and Others, TASHA - Isn't It Romantic) is a 2017 two-time Emmy Nominee for Best Actress in Short Form Comedy or Drama for Con Man and Secs & Execs. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Frau Farbissina in all three Austin Powers films. She has recurring roles on The Goldbergs, Blackish, Legit and Desperate Housewives and has guest starred on Grace and Frankie and A Series of Unfortunate Events, among others. Kids and parents know her from Icarly, Ant Farm and as a voice on the Nickelodeon animated series Legend of Korra.

Raviv Ullman (MARTY - Isn't It Romantic, SCOOP - The Heidi Chronicles) Theater LA: Dead End (Ahmanson), Bad Jews (Geffen Playhouse). Theater NY: Usual Girls (Roundabout), Russian Transport, Sticks and Bones (The New Group), Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Atlantic Theater Co.), The Bad Guys (Second Stage). Regional credits include A Rosen By Any Other Name (Connecticut Critics Circle nomination), The Huntington Theater in Boston, Bucks County Playhouse, Merrimack Repertory Theater, and the Broadway national tour of The King And I. TV credits include Broad City, Phil of The Future, Strangers, Rita Rocks, Law & Order SVU/CI, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, Big Love, and House. His directorial documentary film debut Standing Ground is currently in post-production.

ALLIE GONINO (LEILAH- Uncommon Women & Others) is an actress, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for her roles in the SundanceTV series, The Red Road, ABC Family's, The Lying Game, and the horror musical feature, High Voltage. She grew up near Dallas, TX, and made the move to Los Angeles at the age of sixteen, to pursue a career in entertainment. Uncommon Women & Others marks her fourth collaboration with Stan Zimmerman, having previously worked with him on Zimmerman/Berg's Lifetime sitcom Rita Rocks, the staged reading of Knife to the Heart and The Hollywood Fringe production of Suicide Notes: In Their Own Words, aka right before I go.

Danny Gomez (PAUL - Isn't it Romantic, PETER- The Heidi Chronicles) just received an Outstanding Performance award for At the Table with The Road Theatre in LA. Other recent theatre credits include Hand to God (PS), This Day Forward (LA), Boys of Winter (LA), Stay Tuned (LA), Six Characters in Search of an Author (NYC), and Death of a...Salesman (NYC). This year he booked lead roles in the pilot Bliss-Interpreted, the OutfestLA 2019 film Monster Care, and was featured in Phantom Spectre, Temporary Forevers, FUN-ctional, and Play the Fool.

Melody Peng (SUSIE FRIENDLY - Uncommon Women and Others) is an actress and writer from Rochester, MI. She earned a BBA and BA from the University of Michigan. Since moving to L.A., she discovered a love of improv. Her training at both Groundlings and UCB have helped her land many commercial, film and TV credits, including Jane the Virgin, The Mindy Project, the Netflix series I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and the film Stuber.

Brittannie Bohman (CARTER - Uncommon Women and Others) is an L.A. native and bowler who received her Theatre degree from California State University Northridge. Recent credits include Left Behind on Investigation Discovery and the web series Funny Brown People. Brittannie also spends time writing and producing her own comedic films. Her latest works are Huper Seros and Sorry to Interrupt, which can be found on Youtube.

Stan Zimmerman (Director/Producer) Director/Writer/EP/Creator: secs & EXECS, Skirtchasers - (telloFilms web series). Consultant: Katya aka

Russian Roseanne (Sony/CTC). Writer/EP/Creator: Rita Rocks. Writer/Producer: Gilmore Girls, Roseanne (WGA nomination - "Kiss Episode"). Writer: The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel, Annie (ABC-TV movie), The Golden Girls (WGA Nomination), Fame, Brothers. Writer: Right Before I Go - all-star benefit directed by Michael Wilson (Town Hall). Director: Pledge - World Premiere, Synthesis - World Premiere, Warm Cheese, Daughter Of..., Entertaining Mr. Sloane, BLINK & You Might Miss Me (Best Director winner-BroadwayWorld), Spike Heels, A Tuna Christmas, Gemini. Writer/Director: Knife to the Heart, Yes Virginia, Suicide Notes: In Their Own Words, Meet & Greet, It's On! (workshop-NYMF/Signature Theatre, Falcon Theatre). TV Host/Showrunner: Situation: Comedy (Bravo/Producer Sean Hayes).

Jewish Women's Theatre (Co-Producer), has been voted one of the "Best Live Theatres on the Westside" three years in a row by The Argonaut, stages and displays traditional and contemporary works and educational programming that provide a forum for the development, performance and showcasing of Jewish artistic talent. Now celebrating its 12th Anniversary, JWT's salon theatre of original dramatic shows, each written to a specific theme, displays the diverse and eclectic community of writers, artists and creators who celebrate Jewish life, one story at a time. Learn more about JWT at: www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.

Pop-Up Playhouse (Co-Producer) presented three highly successful productions for its 2018 inaugural season at the Dorie Theatre/The Complex. These included the all-star revival of Justin Tanner's Heartbreak Help with Melissa Peterman, Teresa Ganzel, Sarah Gilman and Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur; the World Premier of Paul Shoulberg's Pledge and the World Premiere of Knife to the Heart by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin. The initial run of its production of The Diary of Anne Frank garnered a whopping fifteen Broadway World 2018 nominations.

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