Melissa Peterman, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Teresa Ganzel, Sarah Gilman Cast In La Revival Of Justin Tanner’s “Heartbreak Help”

August 23, 2017 – Director Stan Zimmerman has found his quartet of actors for the first major revival of Justin Tanner’s acclaimed comedy play, Heartbreak Help. The cast includes Melissa Peterman (“Baby Daddy”, “Reba”), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray), Teresa Ganzel (Meet & Greet) and Sarah Gilman (“Last Man Standing”). This marks Tony Award winner Winokur’s non-musical theatre debut. The show will play a limited run of 3 WEEKS ONLY for 15 performances (September 14-October 1) at the Dorie Theatre, part of The Complex on LA’s famed Theatre Row (6476 Santa Monica Blvd, LA CA 90038). Tickets are $25 online/$30@door and can be purchased at http://heartbreakhelp.bpt.me/ Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Saturday and Sunday at 3pm.

Heartbreak Help originally played the CAST Theatre in 1996. Tanner has done a re-write on the one set/one act play which runs an hour and ten minutes. The setting is a women’s spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree where four women (two are mother and daughter) share a small motel room and their lives are forever changed.

THE CAST:

MELISSA PETERMAN (MARGO), a native of Minneapolis, first made a name for herself in a local production of Tony and Tina’s Wedding. She went on to perform in over 600 shows and became a staple on the comedy and improve scene. Peterman is best known for her starring role as Barbra Jean on the hit series “Reba”. She also starred in “Working Class”, “Retired at 35”, “Surviving Suburbia”, “Rita Rocks”, “Just Shoot Me”, “Cedric”, “Living in Abandon”, “The Pitts”, and “American Dad”. Her first televised comedy special, “Melissa Peterman: Am I The Only One?”, aired on CMT, and she hosted CMT’s “The Singing Bee” in its fourth season. She also starred in “Dusty Peacock”, the online series created for Cracked.com. In addition to her role as Bonnie Wheeler on ABC Family’s “Baby Daddy”, she hosted ABC’s primetime game show “Bet on Your Baby” and ABC Family’s reality comedy clip show “Dancing Fools”. Peterman made her feature film debut as Hooker No. 2 in the Coen Brothers’ Oscar-winning movie “Fargo”. Her other film credits include “40 is the New Dead”, “Here Comes the Boom”, and “Dirty Politics”.

MARISSA JARET WINOKUR (ANDROMEDA) is best known for creating the role of “Tracy Turnblad” in the hit musical Hairspray, a performance for which she won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress. Marissa danced her way into the hearts of America in the hit ABC series “Dancing With the Stars” semifinalist Season 6. Marissa can currently be seen on the comedy “Playing House” on USA Network and up coming “Crashing” on HBO. She started her career on the stage, appearing as “Jan” in the Broadway production of Grease. After moving to LA she quickly began working in film, in such movies as “Muffin Top”, “Fever Pitch”, “Teaching Mrs.Tingle”, “Never Been Kissed”, “Scary Movie” and “American Beauty”, where she immortalized the phrase “You are so busted.” Favorite TV roles include: “Girls”, “Scream Queens”, “Not Today Bianca”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “CSI”, “Major Crimes”, “Hot In Cleveland”, “Retired at 35”, “Stacked”, “Melissa and Joey”, “Just Shoot Me”, “Dharma and Greg”, “American Dad”, “King of the Hill”, “The Cleveland Show”.

TERESA GANZEL (PAULA) played Teri Valentine in Stan Zimmerman & Christian McLaughlin’s hit play Meet & Greet. She just did the new comedy play The Furniture written by Marc Warren and directed by Joel Zwick. She starred in the play Viagara Falls that toured cross-country including Off Broadway. Other recent theater includes Off Broadway’s You’ve Got Hate Mail and Truvy in Morgan Sill’s production of Steele Magnolias in North Carolina. Teresa has a long resume of television comedy such as her 35 appearances of sketches and panel with Johnny Carson for the last decade of his reign. She was a regular on several series such as “The Duck Factory” with Jim Carrey, “Teachers Only” with Jean Smart, “Roxie” with Andrea Martin, and “The Dave Thomas Show”. She guest starred in many sitcoms and TV movies including cult favorite Carol Burnett’s mini series “Fresno”. Film work includes Jackie Gleason’s wife Fancy in the “The Toy” and playing opposite Jeff Goldblum in the comedy horror film “Transylvania 6-5000”. Currently she is staying active with various web series and small indie films such as Ohara Shickles in “The Shickles” that has been winning many film festivals.

SARAH GILMAN (SAGE) began her acting career in musical theatre when she was 11-years-old with lead roles in the musicals Narnia, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Alice in Wonderland. She transitioned to working in film and television, and worked on multiple commercials and television shows (“Up All Night”, “The Kroll Show”, “Last Man Standing”) before booking a series lead on the Disney Channel show, “I Didn’t Do It”. Sarah currently attends the University of Southern California where she studies Film and Television Production and Theatre.

THE CREATIVE TEAM:

JUSTIN TANNER (PLAYWRIGHT) Theater: Over twenty produced plays including Barbie and Ken at Home (with Mark Ruffalo), Zombie Attack (’89-’99: a record breaking ten year run), Party-Mix (with French Stewart, John Glover and Laurie Metcalf), Pot Mom (winner of the PEN WEST award for Drama, LA Drama Critic’s Circle Ted Schmidt Award), also productions in Chicago, Wilmington and Washington D.C., Voice Lessons (Laurie Metcalf, French Stewart) – 2009: Zephy Theater, Hollywood; 2010: Theater Row in New York; 2016, Steppenwolf, Chicago), Day Drinkers (winner of two L.A. Weekly Awards), TV: “My So Called Life”, “Gilmore Girls”, “Love Monkey”. Tanner has also written, directed and edited 85 chapters of the web series “Ave 43”. Guest stars this season include Melissa Peterman, Dave Foley, Mo Collins, Ann Magnuson, French Stewart and Gedde Watanabe.

STAN ZIMMERMAN (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER) Director/Writer/EP/Creator: “secs & EXECS”, “Skirtchasers” – (both 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”. Director: Pledge – Hollywood Fringe 2017, Pinata – Hollywood Fringe 2017, Synthesis – World Premiere, Warm Cheese – Hollywood Fringe 2016, Daughter Of… – Hollywood Fringe 2014, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, BLINK & You Might Miss Me – Hollywood Fringe 2013, SF Fringe, XL Lounge-NYC, (Best Director winner- Broadwayworld), Spike Heels, A Tuna Christmas, Gemini. Music video “All I Want” – Whore’s Mascara. Writer/Director: Yes Virginia, Suicide Notes: In Their Own Words – Hollywood Fringe 2015, Meet & Greet – Hollywood Fringe 2014, It’s On!: the TV theme song musical (workshop-NYMF/Signature Theatre, Falcon Theatre), Dancer/Broadway: Nureyev & the Joffrey Ballet (Mark Hellinger Theatre). TV Host/Showrunner: “Situation: Comedy” (Bravo/Producer Sean Hayes). Teacher: Chapman University, Beverly Hills Playhouse, American Comedy Institute (NYC), Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy (TX). Education: Cranbrook Theatre School, Hampton Playhouse, BFA-Drama NYU/Circle-in-the-Square.

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