Chris Bellant and Sarah Jes Austell to Star in West Coast Premiere of THE OPTIMIST at Elephant Stages

Chris Bellant (Warner Bros. upcoming "Into the Storm") and Sarah Jes Austell will star in the West Coast Premiere of "The Optimist" by Jason Chimonides at Elephant Stages in Los Angeles from April 3rd to April 20th.

Over the course of one tumultuous weekend, Noel returns to his hometown to confront the sudden death of his best friend, the wedding of his philandering father, and the reemergence of his one true love, Nicole. THE OPTIMIST follows three young people into a rundown motel room where they tackle unfinished romance, the imminent arrival of a rampaging patriarch, and the threat of impending adulthood.

Bellant appears in the Warner Bros. thriller "Into the Storm" in theaters next summer. He recently wrapped "Fairfield" alongside Juliet Landau and the indie feature "Living with the Dead". His film "The Backseat" will be in theaters this year, and he can also be seen on A&E's new series "Those Who Kill", premiering this spring. Onstage, he has appeared Off Broadway in "Unhealthy", and "Snow Angel" by David Lindsay-Abaire. He also starred in Annie Baker's "The Aliens" at the Stonington Opera House and is currently starring in Daniel Talbott's new play "Extraordinary Things" in New York with Rising Phoenix Rep. This year he will star in "Loserville", a feature film that he co-wrote.

Austell recently starred in the world premiere of "Fist In Mouth" at Cherry Lane Theater. She also starred in "The Birds" with One Year Lease Theater Company in Papingo, Greece. Theatre: The Cherry Orchard (Director: Bob Moss), The House of Bernarda Alba (Director: Melissa Maxwell), and Friend of the Devil (Director: Laura Braza). She appears in the feature film "The Fly Room" and her short film "Tryouts" was a finalist at the 2013 Sarasota Film Festival as well as the 2013 Lady Filmmakers Film Festival.

Elephant Stages is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90038.

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