Pat Mitchell and More Set for Ocean State Theatre Company's 2016-17 Cabaret Club

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC), the not-for-profit professional theatre company, which recently completed its fourth season in its comfortable stadium-style theatre in Warwick, has announced the schedule for its 2016-17 Cabaret Club.

"We are thrilled that the Cabaret Club has become so popular," said Amiee Turner, Producing Artistic Director of Ocean State Theatre Company. "One of OSTC's goals, since moving to Warwick, has been to 'fill the void,' and after only a few months, last season, we found ourselves having to purchase additional tables and chairs, on two separate occasions, in order to increase the capacity and meet the demand."

Hosted by Rhode Island's own Ida Zecco, the Ocean State Theatre lobby will be transformed into the OSTC Cabaret Club and will welcome a guest artist each month for an hour of professional cabaret entertainment and an hour of open mic, which will be open to any cabaret artist, seasoned or new, giving them the opportunity to perform in a live audience setting. (An accompanist will be provided. Performers must bring music in the correct key.)

A native Rhode Islander, Ms. Zecco is a professional actress and a member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA). She is a one-woman performance artist who combines music, theater and stand-up comedy, which entertains, enlightens, and inspires. Her unique storytelling offers down-home humor with heart-felt narrative. Boston audiences will recognize her from her roles as Barbara DeMarco, Mrs. Shubert, and Sgt. Mikey Thomas in Shear Madness at the Charles Playhouse. Other local performance venues include Jordan Hall, Regattabar, Scullers Jazz Club, Stoneham Theatre, Providence Performing Arts Center, Columbus Theatre, and in NYC: Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Danny's Skylight Room, The Duplex Cabaret Theatre, Town Hall, and numerous stages and opera houses throughout the world, particularly in Europe and Asia.

House pianist Jim Rice, of New York, is an accomplished and diverse music director, arranger, and pianist of many styles. He has performed in hundreds of theaters and concert halls throughout Europe and in every state except Hawaii. Abroad, Jim has been the musical conductor for the European-Broadway tour of Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera, as well as pianist for the Broadway production of Grease in Zurich. He has also toured nationally with Man of La Mancha and Camelot.

OSTC's 2016-17 Cabaret Club will feature the following performers and pianists:

September 13 - Pat Mitchell with Jim Rice on piano

October 11 - Brennan Srisirikul with Jim Rice on piano

November 15 - Wayne Patenaude with Diane Gualtieri on piano

December 13 - TBA with Jim Rice on piano

January 10 - Colleen Powers with Jim Rice on piano

February 14 - Danny Sullivan - accompanist TBA

March 14 - Bonnie MacLeod - with Bonnie MacLeod on piano

April 11 - Jason Hersom with Jim Rice on piano

May 9 - Rod Ferguson with Brian Patton on piano

For individual artist bios, visit www.OceanStateTheatre.org.

Cabaret Club will take place on the second Tuesday of every month from 7:30 - 9:30 pm in the theatre's lobby. The theatre is located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI. The $15 cover charge includes one beverage from the lobby bar and parking is always free. (Cabaret Club entrance will be through the Box Office doors only.) Seating is limited, so reservations are encouraged and can be made at the box office Monday through Friday from 12 noon - 6:00 pm, Saturdays from 12 noon - 4:00 pm, and from 12 noon until curtain on performance days. Reservations can also be made online 24 hours a day at www.OceanStateTheatre.org and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 921-6800.

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC) is a professional not-for-profit regional theatre whose mission is to preserve and pass on the tradition of live, professional theatre - including the American musical - and to pursue avenues of enrichment and education for the benefit of the state of Rhode Island and the surrounding region through the theatre arts. OSTC, which re-opened and ran the historic Theatre By The Sea in Matunuck, RI from 2007-2012 and began producing shows in Warwick, RI in 2012, is an IRS designated not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.