Ocean State Theatre Company Announces Upcoming Season: FOOLS, RENT and More

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC), currently celebrating its Fifth Anniversary Season at the historic Theatre By The Sea, has announced the inaugural season for their new state-of-the-Art Theatre in Warwick.

“With principal construction due to be completed in October, we have decided to present two holiday pieces in December, which will be followed by a truncated season consisting of two musicals and two plays,” said Amiee Turner, Producing Artistic Director. “For our inaugural season, we have chosen to produce a diverse selection of work by some of the most powerful, award-winning and popular writers in history.”

The subscription season will open on January 23 with the Neil Simon’s highly comic play, Fools, which tells the ridiculous story of Leon Tolchinsky, a young school teacher, who quickly falls madly in love and just as quickly realizes his new love, and the entire town, have been literally cursed with chronic stupidity. He finds out he has just 24 hours to break the curse and save his love forever.

Fools will be presented from January 23 - February 10.

The season continues on February 22 with Jonathan Larson’s ground-breaking musical, Rent, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony® Award for Best Musical. Running for 12 years on Broadway, Rent tells the story of a year in the life of a diverse group of friends and artists struggling to live in New York. It is a story of hopes and dreams, friendship and loss amid the chaos of HIV/AIDS in their community. Contains adult content.

Rent will be presented from February 22 - March 17.

Race , the provocative play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, David Mamet, follows three attorneys, two black and one white, who are confronted with the chance to defend a white man charged with a high-profile crime against a black woman. The plot unfolds as the three lawyers and defendant grapple with the evidence of the case and their own feelings about race. Contains adult content.

Race will be presented from March 27 - April 14.

Rounding out the season is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical masterpiece, The King and I. This family classic full of splendor and pageantry features a dazzling score with some of the most popular songs ever written, including “Hello, Young Lovers,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Getting to Know You,” “I Have Dreamed,” “We Kiss in a Shadow,” and “Shall We Dance?”

The King and I will be presented from April 24 - May 19.

Previews for all productions are scheduled for Wednesday at 7:30pm and Thursday at 2:00 and 7:30pm. Opening weekend performances will be held on Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2:00 and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:00 and 7:30pm. All other performances will be held Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, as well as Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm. The theatre is located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI. Preview performances will be $30.00 for plays and $39 for musicals. All other performances will be $30.00 - $39.00 for plays and $39.00 - $54.00 for musicals. Discount rates for groups of 20 or more will also be available.

Subscriptions for the Inaugural Season are now available, with priority being given to current Theatre By The Sea subscribers, who will be receiving information in the mail.

“During the past five years, our subscribers have shown their continued support for OSTC by purchasing tickets for our productions at Theatre By The Sea,” said Turner. “As a way of thanking our subscribers, we are extending an invitation to them to be the first patrons to purchase tickets for our new venture.”

For the coming season, subscribers can enjoy discounted rates with several different subscription options:

The Preview and Premiere Subscriptions allow subscribers to choose from the best seats in the house before they go on sale to the public, secure the same choice seats for each show, save over single ticket pricing, renew the same seats annually and exchange seats up to 24 hours in advance for small fee. (Donors at the $50 level and above enjoy free unlimited exchanges.)

The Flexible Passport provides the ultimate in flexibility by including four “seats” which can be used in any combination. For example, one ticket for four shows on different nights, two tickets for two different shows or any other combination imaginable. The choice is yours! The Flexible Passport allows subscribers to choose from the best seats in the house before they go on sale to the public and save over single ticket prices.

Season ticket subscriptions are on sale to current subscribers at the box office Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, online anytime at OceanStateTheatre.org and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 782-TKTS (8587). The box office will also be open one hour prior to every performance.

Subscriptions will be available to the general public on July 9, 2012 with single tickets for the inaugural season going on sale October 1, 2012.

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