PUBLISHED ON NOVEMBER 20, 2008
Keeping a Distance
"Crossing Elliot"
7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 20-22
Beowulf Alley Theatre Company
11 S. Sixth Ave.
227-0727; beowulfalley.org
Michelle Sciarrone said that when the cast and crew first read the script of her play Crossing Elliot, many thought she could have been writing about their own lives. In fact, anyone who has been in a long-distance relationship may find the play very familiar.
Crossing Elliot is about the long-distance relationship between New York-based Rikki and her Los Angeles-based boyfriend, Elliot. Rikki first meets Elliot, an up-and-coming writer, when she interns at her magazine's West Coast offices. When Rikki returns to New York, the power struggle begins.
"People can really relate to the characters," Sciarrone said.
Sciarrone, a creative-writing senior at the UA, began writing Crossing Elliot three years ago. She sought out guidance from visiting dramaturg Heather Helinsky and then rewrote the script.
"(It had the) same storyline, but I rewrote it structurally and technically," Sciarrone said. "From there, it took off."
While the characters and dialogue are realistic, the play has elements of surrealism. For example, the New York and Los Angeles sets are right next to each other on stage, separated only by an invisible line, Sciarrone said. The characters do not interact with each other, and instead communicate by cell phone.
Things get really difficult for the couple, and for the audience, when Rikki starts seeing somebody else.
"(Elliot) doesn't know it, but the audience can see them right there," Sciarrone said of Rikki and her new flame.
To find out whether Rikki and Elliot make it, see the play this weekend.
As for Sciarrone, she hopes to continue writing and producing, though she said the production process is stressful.
"I've never actually got to see my art from the audience perspective, so I'm just really looking forward to it," Sciarrone said. --C.C.
