Road Less Traveled Productions Presents Superior Donuts 11/11

Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) today announced its WNY premiere production of Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts will open Friday, November 11 th , 2011. Superior Donuts is Letts' most recent effort, and his first new work following his 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, August: Osage County , which also won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best New Play.

Superior Donuts follows aging hippie Arthur Przybyszewski, who is every bit as decrepit as the donut joint he operates and every bit as depressed as the rough mixed neighborhood that is home to the eponymous shop. Enter Franco Wicks, an idealistic young black man intent on helping Arthur Change the shop - and maybe even the neighborhood - for the better. The play "celebrates the redemptive power of hope, friendship, nostalgia, and diversity," said RLTP Executive and Artistic Director Scott Behrend.

RLTP's production will star Steve Jakiel, Barry Williams, Gerry Maher, Victoria Perez, Carlton Franklin, Jermain Cooper, Stan Klimecko, and Aaron Krygier, under Behrend's direction. When Superior Donuts originally premiered at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago in 2008 it starred Michael McKean ("Laverne & Shirley," "Saturday Night Live," "Dream On") as Arthur. That production moved to Broadway in 2009 and ran through 2010.

Behrend praised the play for its keen combination of humor and thoughtful portrayal of transitioning urban neighborhoods and their working class residents. " Superior Donuts will strike a chord with Buffalonians, who can recognize and relate to everyday concerns like looking out for your neighbors, trying to improve the area you live in, and - most of all," he finished, "enjoying a delicious box of fresh donuts."

Behrend mentioned that Paula's Donuts, a beloved North Buffalo fixture located on Kenmore Avenue for the past fifteen years, is sponsoring the RLTP production of Superior Donuts. Paula's Donuts joins RLTP sponsors that include M&T Bank, Mighty Taco, Lawley Insurance, and WBFO.

Playwright Tracy Letts started his theatre career as an actor with Chicago's prestigious Steppenwolf Theatre. He began writing plays in 1991 and has since authored August: Osage County, Bug (which he also adapted into the 2006 feature film directed by William Friedkin and starring Michael Shannon and Ashley Judd), The Man from Nebraska, and Killer Joe. Superior Donuts is his most recent play.

Superior Donuts opens Friday, November 11 th , at the Road Less Traveled Theater and runs through Sunday, December 4 th . Showtimes are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30PM and Sundays at 2:00PM. There will be no show on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24 th .

About Road Less Traveled Productions

Road Less Traveled Productions (RLTP) is a professional, not-for-profit theatre company founded in 2002 by Scott Behrend with Jon Elston. RLTP is 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. The Road Less Traveled Theater is located at 639 Main Street in the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre in the Downtown Buffalo Theatre District. For subscription and ticketing information, please visit www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org or call to make a reservation with the RLTP Box Office at (716) 629-3069. Single performance tickets also may be purchased online via www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. 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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