A suicide awareness play is coming to Theatre N in Wilmington next month.
“Right Before I Go” will be performed Friday, October 7, 2022 at 8 p.m. following Suicide Awareness Month in September.
It’s creator Stan Zimmerman notes that the play was conceived as a way open the door to conversations surrounding suicide.
“Actually 10 years ago this past May, a very, very close friend of mine died by suicide." he said. "And as a comedy writer - I’ve written for “Golden Girls,” “Roseanne” and “Gilmore Girls,” I didn’t quite know how to handle it and process it.”
Zimmerman says his friend, Kevin Gill, left a note that he was mentioned in, but his death was a shock because he had no idea that his friend was suffering.
“So what does one do when you’re totally uninformed - you go to your computer and Google. And I started googling “suicide notes” and a lot came up," he said. "I think I was hoping to find out the reason why through other people’s notes. And that became the journey of the play.”
The hour-long play will be followed by a 30 minute audience talkback with a local mental health expert along with the actors.
Proceeds from the show’s six city East Coast tour go to a nonprofit that supports suicide awareness and prevention within each community.