ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE's Erin McCracken to Return to Ocean State Theatre, 8/9

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC), the not-for-profit professional theatre company, which recently completed its first full season in Warwick, has announced that Erin McCracken, who won rave reviews as Patsy Cline in Ocean State Theatre Company's recent production of Always...Patsy Cline, will return to Ocean State Theatre with her exciting one-woman concert for one performance only on Saturday, August 9 at 7:30pm.

"I was approached by an unusual number of audience members who asked if Erin might consider bringing her one-woman concert to the theatre," said Amiee Turner, Producing Artistic Director of Ocean State Theatre Company. "We are thrilled that Erin was able to squeeze us into her busy schedule."

Born and bred in Oklahoma City, Ms. McCracken's interest in performing began at a young age. "My mother is a singer, so we were always singing in our house. Performing just came naturally to me." She started taking voice, acting, and dance classes when she was in grade school and performed in every play and musical at both school and church. "My family, especially my parents, was always very encouraging and supportive of my brothers and me when it came to following our dreams. It wasn't a question of 'if.' It was always 'when.'"

Ms. McCracken studied at Oklahoma City University under Florence Birdwell, who also taught Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O'Hara. By the time she graduated from OCU, she already had a few regional credits under her belt, so she packed up and moved to New York City. She has appeared in New York productions of The King's Legacy, Mack and Mabel, Subways Are For Sleeping, and PICk Love. She's also appeared in regional productions of Hairspray, The Winter Wonderettes, Nunsense, Little Shop of Horrors, Oklahoma!, Evita, Lucky Stiff, The Music Man, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Always...Patsy Cline, among others.

Of her turn as Patsy Cline last month in OSTC's production of Always...Patsy Cline, Ms. McCracken said, "It's funny, when I moved to New York, my very first audition was for a production of Always...Patsy Cline and I got a call back! I couldn't believe it. Although I thought I would be perfect for the role, it wasn't my time. I am so thankful that OSTC gave me the opportunity to play the iconic singer. It was a dream come true!"

The one-night-only event will featuring Broadway favorites, songs from Ms. McCracken's debut CD, Like Lemon Drops, and of course, selections from Always... Patsy Cline.

The proceeds from Erin McCracken: In Concert will benefit Ocean State Theatre Company's Live Music Initiative, which was established in 2008 in order to support the tradition of professional musicians playing live during all musical theatre performances.

Erin McCracken: In Concert will be presented on Saturday, August 9 at 7:30 pm. The theatre is located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI. All tickets are $35 and are on sale at the box office Monday through Friday from 12 noon - 6:00 pm and Saturdays from 12 noon - 4:00 pm. Tickets are also available online 24 hours a day at www.OceanStateTheatre.org and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling (401) 921-6800.

Note: Rush tickets are not available for OSTC fundraising events.