WNY playwright and RLTP Ensemble Member Jon Elston will see his play The Elliptical - which debuted at the Road Less Traveled Theater in 2008 -staged in a new production at Niagara County Community College (NCCC). The play is part of a double-bill titled Lost Time which will open Wednesday, April 2nd.
The Elliptical chronicles the story of three close friends and the awkward, disastrous, hilarious, and profound evolution of their relationship from high school into adulthood. Camille, Ches, and Michelle relate their strange history through overlapping monologues and recreations and from each character's shifting and sometimes compromised perspective. The 70-minute one-act was originally presented by Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) in November 2008 as part of Triangles, an evening of plays also including August Strindberg's The Stronger and Emanuel Fried's Triangle; Todd Benzin, Bonnie Jean Taylor, and Kelly Meg Brennan starred in Elston's installment.
NCCC's production will pair The Elliptical with David Ives' short comedy Time Flies. Amanda Dornan, Katie Blendowski, and Jared Crouch are featured in The Elliptical, with Glenn Hillman joining Blendowski and Crouch in Time Flies. Both plays will be directed by Roger Keicher, who Elston praised for his interpretation of Elliptical. "Roger and the cast are remaining very loyal to the spirit of the characters while conceiving of fresh ways to tell the story," said Elston. "Even theatergoers who enjoyed The Elliptical in 2008 will discover new and different dimensions to it through this production."
Elston is an Instructor at NCCC's Theatre department and is the co-founder and Literary Director of Buffalo's Road Less Traveled Productions. Jon has been named Buffalo's Best Playwright or Writer in Artvoice's Best of Buffalo poll four times since 2007 and has won the Artie Award for Outstanding New Play. His next full-length play, After America: Wasteland 2015, a sci-fi/fantasy/action/adventure/horror/political satire, has already been announced as part of RLTP's 2014-2015 season. David Ives is best known for his hit plays All In The Timing and Venus In Furs.
Lost Time will run April 2nd through April 11th at the NCCC Black Box Theatre (3111 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, NY 14132). Showtimes are Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:00PM. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.niagaracc.suny.edu/academics/amt/performing_arts.php .
Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) is a professional, non-profit theatre company dedicated to the development and production of new theatrical works by Western New York playwrights, as well as presentations of esteemed modern dramas of outstanding literary merit. RLTP, a member of the National New Play Network, is located in the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre in the Theatre District of Downtown Buffalo, NY. For more information about RLTP and to purchase tickets, please visit www.RoadLessTraveledProductions.org or call (716) 629-3069. RLTP's work is made possible through public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
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