Hinkle begins performing Oct. 17 as Becca in the west coast premiere which stars Tate Donovan, Trever O'Brien, Joyce Van Patten and Missy Yager. Carolyn Cantor (Orange Flower Water) directs the work which will play through Oct. 22. Ryan leaves to begin work on a film.

Hinkle — known to television audiences for her turns in "Two and a Half Men" and "Once and Again" — has trod the Broadway boards in Electra, A Thousand Clowns and The Tempest. Other credits include Off-Broadway's Miss Julie (Rattlestick), Jayson With a Y (New Group), Blue Window (MCC), A Dybbuk (Public), Sabina (Primary Stages), Henry VIII and in the Geffen Playhouse's Rose and Walsh.

Ryan — Tony Award nominee for A Streetcar Named Desire and "The Wire" star also seen in Uncle Vanya, The Women, Three Sisters and On The Mountain — began in the role of Becca, the mother at the center of the story of a couple dealing with the loss of their son. (Her co-star in The Women, Cynthia Nixon, originated the role on Broadway.)

Donovan (Amy's View, Picnic, Lobby Hero) stars opposite as her husband, Van Patten (Brighton Beach Memoirs, Rumors, Jake's Women) as her mother and Yager (Diary of Anne Frank, This Is Our Youth) as her sister. O'Brien, making his professional theatre debut, also appears.

The Geffen next plays home to the world premiere of Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking (Nov. 7-Dec. 24), Jeffrey Hatcher's A Picasso (Dec. 5-Jan. 14, 2007), David Mamet's Speed-The-Plow (Jan. 30-March 18, 2007), Neil LaBute's Fat Pig (March 9-May 20, 2007), Tom Stoppard's translation of Gérald Sibleyras' Heroes (April 10-May 27, 2007) and Heshey Felder's George Gershwin Alone (June 5-July 22, 2007). The Geffen Playhouse, located at 10886 Le Conte Avenue in Westwood, CA can be found online at www.geffenplayhouse.com.