Presented by The Center at West Park

The Center at West Park returns to Guild Hall with a follow-up to last year’s sold-out celebrity benefit: a staged reading of the screenplay of The Big Chill, by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek, directed by David Saint. The ensemble will feature Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei (“My Cousin Vinny,” “The Wrestler”), Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick (“The Producers”), Emmy Award-nominee Amy Brenneman (“Judging Amy”), Spencer Garrett (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Drama Desk Award-winner Frederick Weller (“In Plain Sight”), Ilana Levine (“Tanner ’88”) and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, with additional all-star cast members to be announced. The reading will be followed by a talkback with the cast and creative team. The performance supports CWP’s ongoing affordable, accessible and intergenerational programs serving all five boroughs and audiences and artists alike.

The Big Chill is a consequential film released in 1983, featuring a group of idealistic University of Michigan college friends from the 60’s, gathering 20 years later for the funeral of one of their closest friends, Alex, who took his own life. The friends spend the weekend confronting the personal truths, sacrifices and betrayals that have left them disenchanted. Each must contend with unresolved issues they have with Alex, and with one another.