Virginia Madsen Joins Six-City East Coast Tour Of Suicide Awareness Play RIGHT BEFORE I GO

Virginia Madsen, Academy Award nominee from the hit movie "Sideways", has been added to the east coast tour of Stan Zimmerman's suicide awareness play, 'Right Before I Go', highlighting the raw struggles of people in all walks of life that have died by suicide.

The play brings to life the last words written in letters by individuals lost-including celebrities, veterans, children and those identifying as LGBTQ+, people who have experienced a range of mental health calamities -as well as those who have survived attempts. 'Right Before I Go', produced by Seedling Events, will also feature cast members from the popular TV show 'Gilmore Girls', with its first performance at 3p.m. in Ogunquit, Maine on October 2, 2022. Tickets, cast bios and additional information about this production can be found at www.seedlingevents.com.

The tour will run for one week throughout New England and down the eastern seaboard, from Maine to Washington D.C. (including stops in Woodstock, NY; Manchester, New Hampshire; Wilmington, Delaware and ending in Baltimore, Maryland). The play will be under the direction of Gilmore alum Devon M. Schwartz, who brings nearly three decades of theater experience from across the country to this project. To date, cast members include playwright & narrator, Stan Zimmerman (whose writing credits include The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls & Roseanne), Shelly Cole, Nick Holmes, Devon Michaels, and now, Virginia Madsen, whose nephew died by suicide this year.

"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." Stan Zimmerman, Right Before I Go creator, said. My hope is that this will create an opening for a much needed discussion about a very complicated issue."

Confirmed performances, for this production, of Right Before I Go include:
October 2nd @ 3p.m.
Ogunquit, Maine (The Leavitt Theater)

October 3rd @ 7p.m.

Manchester, New Hampshire (The Rex Theater @ The Palace)

October 5th & 6th @ 7p.m.

Woodstock, New York (Woodstock Playhouse)

October 7th @ 8p.m.

Wilmington, Delaware (Theatre N at Nemours)

October 8th @ 8p.m.

Washington D.C, (The Lang Theatre @ Atlas Performing Arts Center)

October 9th @ 8p.m.

Baltimore, MD (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company)

"Bringing this piece to communities along the east coast expands discussion on a societal challenge that automatically benefits from more conversation. I'm incredibly proud to be working with a cast like this to help increase awareness," Devon M. Schwartz, 'Right Before I Go' director, said. "The play itself is nowhere near as daunting as it sounds: Stan characteristically includes gentle humor to help plumb the depths. And our goal is not to embody those who've suffered but to honor their uniquely raw poetry, to build empathy and make better advocates of us all."

Since its acclaimed first performance at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2015, the play has traveled across the country, raising awareness and offering hope for suicide prevention. The run time is 60 minutes, followed by a 30 minute talkback with a local mental health expert between the actors & audience. A short reception, with the cast, will follow for VIP ticket holders at each location. Original music, by Michael Teoli, will be written for this production. And, in an effort to involve the community, each event will hold a spot for a local member of the community to read one of the notes alongside the cast. Proceeds from the tour will be given to a non-profit that supports suicide awareness & prevention within each community.

This tour runs on the heels of Suicide Awareness Month, which takes place every September, but this extension allows for the conversation to be continued-because truly, this is a topic that needs attention year-around.

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