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Above • Edward Asner & Ryan Katzenbach at the BOB reading reception.

Above • Improv Comedy Club founder Budd Friedman with Garry Marshall.

Above • Larry Thomas, known for his role on Seinfeld as "The Soup Nazi" prepares to take his place on stage. The stain on his shirt was part of the play....yes, REALLY.

Above • Ryan with his friend and director John Ireland

Above • Ed with actor and Katco friend David Moretti who played "Junior" in the reading.

Above • Matt Prater who played the lead character of Shawn Smith. Matt had a very large portion and spent almost the entire show on his feet building the drama, working the audience.

Above • The legendary Garry Marshall with BOB Exec Producer Diana Maiocco

Above • Garry poses with Peg Giambra, left, and her brother Art Kelly, right. Ryan Katzenbach's frieds Peg and Art flew all the way from Long Island to attend the reading.

Above • BOB actors John Kostrey and Ron Dickinson pose with Ed.

Above • Sherry Santillano of the Falcon Theatre who worked so hard to make the rental of the theatre seamless, smooth and easy.

Burbank, CA - On January 22, 2007, Katco Publisher Ryan Katzenbach's original screenplay, a comedy set in the car business, came to life on the stage of the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, California. "Back of Book" follows the day of a Pontiac dealer's general manager as his entire life falls apart amidst a failing marriage and career woes.

Starring in Katzenbach's comedy was veteran television and film actor Edward Asner, Sienfeld's "Soup Nazi" Larry Thomas, Improv Comedy chain owner Budd Friedman, and NBC's beautiful and talented model "Number 18" on the popular Deal or No Deal, Marisa Potrero. The staged reading was directed by John Ireland.

The event commenced with a reception at 6 p.m. with curtain call at 7. Among the many people in attendance at the reception was Garry Marshall, the theatre's owner and one of Hollywood's most respected directors. Marshall's credits include Pretty Woman, The Flamingo Kid, Overboard, Beaches, and Happy Days.

Above • BOB Reading Director John Ireland directs the cast on blocking at the third and final rehearsal at the Falcon on the afternoon of January 22, 2007.

Above • Actor Alec Nemser, Ryan Katzenbach and NBC's Marisa Potrero.

The staged reading lasted approximately an hour and a half, not counting an intermission break in the middle. Act II immediately commenced with the introduction of Jimmy Cole [Ed Asner], the grizzled, old-school Pontiac dealer who plans to make life rough for our lead character, Shawn [Matthew John Prater]. In the end, however, Cole ends up being one of our unlikely heroes who, along with the dealerships tough-as-nails business manager Claudia [Barbara Gruen] saves the day and defeats the duplicitious Junior [David Moretti].

When the performance ended, the cast of 20 was given a standing ovation from a house that was over three-quarters of its 130 capacity. The audience, and cast, immediately headed for the front lobby where the reception and celebration continued on until well after 10 p.m. before it shifted down the street to Burbank's Irish Pub, Timmy Nolands. During the reception, our film and television personalities took time to mingle with audience and industry folks who turned out for the event, while also signing more than a few autographs.

Above • Ryan chats with veteran television producer Bernard Sofronski.

Above • Tifani Reed, one of Ryan's high school friends, pictured with Ryan and Allyce Beasley. Beasley played Agnes DiPesto, assistant to Cybill Shepherd's lead in the 1980's series Moonlighting.

"This was such a memorable, memorable night," says Katzenbach who was pleased with attendance and the show. "John Ireland did an amazing job directing and he really brought the characters off the page and made them real. It's a lot of fun to watch something you've written come to life."

The reading served two purposes, according to Katzenbach. First was to "see it alive," he says. "When you hear the words and see the actions, it's a great way to critique your own work and you end up saying 'hey, I want to rework THAT dialogue a little bit because it doesn't sound entirely natural." The second purpose: to gain support for the project. "I think we accomplished both," he said.

Katco will continue to work on BOB while also planning other readings. Katzenbach is planning to read another piece, a screenplay written by a Canadian friend, at the theatre if the rental schedule permits. In addition to producing, he plans to make a directorial debut.