Sanaa Lathan to Lead BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK at Geffen Playhouse; Full Cast Announced!

Stage and screen star Sanaa Lathan (A Raisin in the Sun, Contagion) returns to the title role in Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark for its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. Lathan, who originated the character of Vera Stark in the critically acclaimed New York run, will once again take the stage as the 1930's era maid turned movie star, reunited with original cast member Kimberly Hébert Gregory (Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer) reprising her role as fellow aspiring African American actress Lottie. Broadway vet and Geffen alum Merle Dandridge (Spamalot, Rent, Aida) will take on the spicy role of Anna Mae, who fakes a Brazilian accent for a slice of fame, and former leading lady of ABC's Man Up, Amanda Detmer, will portray Gloria Mitchell, the white starlet dubbed "America's little sweetie pie" and Vera's first employer. Helmed by award-winning director Jo Bonney, the West Coast premiere cast also features Kevin Carroll (Paid in Full, Being John Malkovich), Spencer Garrett (Iron Man 3, Air Force One) and Geffen alum Mather Zickel (Extraordinary Chambers, Rachel Getting Married).

It's Hollywood's heyday and the streets of Los Angeles are filled with glitz, glamour and the chance at stardom - that is as long as you have the "right" look. But when former maid Vera Stark lands a groundbreaking role in a new Southern epic, she turns Hollywood on its head and paves the way for future generations of black actresses. More than five decades later, Vera's influence on race, film and feminism has seeped its way into pop-culture. But who is the real Vera Stark? Part comedy and part commentary, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark uses today's fascination with celebrity and controversy to get to the truth behind the legend.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark had its world premiere in 2011 at Second Stage Theatre in New York. The Geffen Playhouse production marks the West Coast premiere.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark begins in previews in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse on September 18, 2012 and officially opens on Wednesday, September 26, 2012. Special events during the run of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark include the theater's Signature Series performances for no additional cost. These evenings include an intellectual, thought-provoking post show Q&A at Talk Back Tuesdays; a scintillating, one-of-a kind after-party at Girls Night Out; a cultural happy hour with Lounge Fridays and complimentary wine tastings during Wine Down Sundays. For more information, please view www.geffenplayhouse.com/meetvera.

Ticket prices currently range from $37 to $57 for preview performances and from $47 to $77 for the regular run. Tickets are available in-person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, via phone at 310-208-5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.com.

Kevin Carroll (Leroy Barksdale / Herb Forrester)
Kevin Carroll has had a strong presence in film including the cult classic Paid in Full (for his role as Calvin), Being John Malkovich (with John Malkovich), The Object of My Affection (as Jennifer Aniston's love interest), The Secret Lives of Dentists, The Notorious Bettie Page (directed Mary Harron), Always Outnumbered (with Laurence Fishburne and Cicely Tyson), Jesus's Son (with Billy Crudup) and Pipe Dream (directed by John Walsh with Mary Louise Parker). On television, Kevin has appeared on Law and Order Criminal Intent, Law and Order SVU, Detroit 187, Strong Medicine, Numb3rs, ER, among others. Carroll has appeared on Broadway in such parts as Belize in Angels in America by Tony Kushner; as Solomon Mantutu in 45 Seconds from Broadway by Neil Simon, as Davey Battle in Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg and The Voice in Bring in da Noise, Bring in Da Funk directed by George C. Wolfe.