her husband, Randy, is a co-producer
in Zimmerman’s play, now renamed
Right Before I Go, that will be pre-
sented Dec. 4 at Town Hall in New
York City. Directed by Michael Wilson,
Right Before I Go will feature celebrity
actors Ellen Burstyn, Judith Light,
Elizabeth Ashley, Maulik Pancholy,
Raviv Ullman and Maggie Lacey.
After Diane and Randy lost their
son to suicide on Aug. 26, 2013, at the
age of 20, they started the George A.
Orley Memorial Fund at the Jewish
Federation. Wanting to be advocates
in mental health, Diane and her
friend, Linda Aikens, started a non-
profit called the George Orley Mental
Wellness Initiative. Money raised
through fundraisers support the
Wolverine Support Network (WSN)
at the University of Michigan, where
George was a rising junior at the time
of his death. Diane and Randy’s son
Sam, a senior at U-M, is the executive
director of WSN.
“The WSN empowers U-M students
to create a safe community and sup-
port each other’s identity, mental well-
being and day-to-day lives through
peer-facilitated groups and bi-weekly
social events,” says Diane, who will
attend the Dec. 4 NYC benefit with her
husband and their daughter, Amanda.
“In the past year, Linda and I have also
started a peer support program at
Cranbrook, and we hope to expand it
to other high schools.”
Julie Sachse, Orley’s and
Zimmerman’s mutual friend, formerly
of Southfield and Farmington Hills
and now living in L.A., introduced
Orley to Zimmerman. Amy Blavin,
also a former Michigander now living
in L.A., is a co-producer as well. Blavin
confirmed that Right Before I Go will
be performed in L.A. in September
next year.
And while Zimmerman was infa-
mous for his TV column musings in
the Thompson Jr. High School news-
letter, his real love was acting. When
his second-grade teacher called his
mom to say that Zimmerman had a
gift — “it totally changed my life,” he
recalls.
He attended Cranbrook Schools’
theater camp for five summers, then
the Hampton Playhouse for two
before earning his bachelor of fine arts
at New York University’s Circle-in-the-
Square Drama Program.
“I started in New York at NYU being
an actor, so I’m extremely fortunate
to come back to New York to put the
play on,” says Zimmerman, who has
also directed plays, music videos and
television; he also teaches a Sitcom
Auditioning Workshop. “With all
the craziness in the world right now,
it’s exciting to find myself again in
theater; I just want to get back to my
roots.” •
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November 23 • 2017
51