The December 14 radio play-focused fundraiser benefitted the non-profit center, an LA resource for special needs individuals; event featured Tom Kenny, Joey King, Mark Hamill, Tom Bergeron, Phil Lamarr, and many others.
The Ed Asner Family Center (TEAFC), an LA resource for special needs individuals, recently hosted a radio play-focused fundraiser event featuring a live staged table reading of the beloved It’s A Wonderful Life film script. Performers included Tom Kenny (as George Bailey) alongside a handful of his fellow SpongeBob SquarePants series regulars, as well as Tom Bergeron, Mark Hamill, Phil LaMarr, and Joey King. The performance took place during their 4th annual theatrical fundraising benefit on December 14 and was streamed on TrillerTV.
The cast and crew delivered under the guidance of Asner Center Founders Matthew Asner and Navah Paskowitz-Asner; event director/producer Victor Nelli (Atypical, The Office, The Bernie Mac Show); live producer David Marquez; and producers Luisa Romero, Cellin Gluck, Karin Beck, and Tom McAndrew.
The performance also featured supporting neurodivergent actors Atticus Baldwin (God’s Gang, Genius Revisited), Chelsea Darnell (Genius Revisited), and Spencer Harte (Atypical, Parenthood).
Billed as a table read, “It’s A Wonderful Life: TEAFC Edition” included an immersive White Christmas-esque set design featuring life-sized, blanched faux trees and a starlight-studded, concave scrim; live musical accompaniment from keyboardist Jonathan Green; and the Foley artistry of Ele Matelan.
Pre-intermission entertainment revealed a mini-documentary film about the unique neurodivergent employment-readiness program born from a Funko toy company and Asner Family Center partnership.
Asner Center Founder and CEO Matthew Asner said, “I am eternally grateful to the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants and our special guests, including Mark Hamill and Tom Bergeron, for coming in and making sure ‘fun’ is the word for the evening. I also thank the family of Philip Van Doren Stern for allowing us once again to present this incredible story. This film meant so much to my father and me, and I feel that each time we take part in It’s A Wonderful Life, we honor his spirit.”
The performance video recording remains available via Triller TV in the United States for unlimited replays until midnight on January 1, 2025. Viewers can access the event for $19.99.
Source: The Ed Asner Family Center
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
