THE OPTIMIST, Starring Chris Bellant, Makes West Coast Premiere at Elephant Stages, Now thru 4/20

"The Optimist" by Jason Chimonides and directed by Will Wallace will have its West Coast Premiere at Elephant Stages in Los Angeles today, April 3rd. The show will run through April 20th.

THE OPTIMIST follows three young people in a rundown motel room where they tackle unfinished romance, the imminent arrival of a rampaging patriarch, and the threat of impending adulthood. 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.

You will see Chris Bellant, who plays Noel, in the Warner Bros. thriller "Into the Storm" in theaters next summer. He recently starred in "Fairfield" alongside Juliet Landau and in the indie feature "Living with the Dead". His feature film "The Backseat" is currently playing at festivals. 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.

Sarah Jes Austell, who plays Nicole, 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.

Aaron David Johnson , who plays Declan, recently starred in "Detention" alongside Josh Hutcherson, which was released by Sony Pictures. He has a major role in Diane Namm's film "Finding Hope. Johnson also appeared on CBS' "The Defenders" alongside Jerry O'Connell and James Belushi.

Director Will Wallace has produced, written, and directed over a dozen award-winning films. He is currently a producer at Sunflower Films with Terrence Malick and Edward Pressman in Los Angeles. Will directed the award winning comedic feature entitled "Cake: A Wedding Story" and recently produced "Flatland" starring Martin Sheen, Kristen Bell & Tony Hale, "Clear Lake WI" starring Michael Madsen, and "Rock Slyde" starring Patrick Warburton, Andy Dick & Jason Alexander. Wallace recently directed "Red Wing" starring Bill Paxton and Frances Fisher. Warner Bros. will release the film this spring. He also recently produced "The Appearing" for Lionsgate.

As an actor, Will has played roles in on over forty films including "The Thin Red Line", "I Am Sam", "Rules of Engagement", "The New World", "Broke Sky" (currently on the Sundance Channel), and the Academy Award nominated "Tree of Life" starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. Most recently, he filmed "The Untitled Terrence Malick Project" with Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams & Ben Affleck, and "Doonby" with John Schneider. Some of Will's TV credits include "Leverage", "Beverly Hills 90210″ (Both Series), "Baywatch", and "Pensacola: Wings of Gold".

Elephant Stages is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90038. Tickets are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/579556.