Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre Join Forces for ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE

The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre celebrate music legend and cross-over sensation Patsy Cline, April 18 through May 21.

The touching true story, Always... Patsy Cline combines humor, heartache and 27 of Patsy's most unforgettable hits, such as "Crazy," "Walkin' After Midnight," "Sweet Dreams," and more!

Always...Patsy Cline was created by Ted Swindley in Houston, Texas in 1988. Swindley wanted to present a production featuring Cline's music, but he did not want it to just be a typical musical revue or a biography on the singer's life. He sought a local slant on the show and discovered an interview with a Houston housewife, Louise Seger, in a Cline biography. Within the interview, he discovered information about countless letters written between Seger and Cline up until the night of her death in 1963. Always... Patsy Cline is told through the heartfelt and hilarious memories of Louise from the time they met at Houston's Esquire Ballroom to when Louise hears of Patsy's untimely passing at age thirty. After many productions in the early 90s around the southern part of the U.S., Always... Patsy Clinesuccessfully ran Off-Broadway in 1997. It is one of the top 10 most produced shows with performances in the U. S., Australia, the UK and Ireland, and has rarely been produced in the St. Louis region.

Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Henley on September 8, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia. She was known for helping to break down the gender barrier in country music and received her first recording contract in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Cline joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee and successfully "crossed over" to pop music with several of her songs. Cline remains as relevant today as she was over fifty years ago. Her legacy as one of the greatest singers of all time continues to resonate among audiences of all ages. In 2005 her album, Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits, was listed as the Longest-Charting Title by a Female Artist in the Guinness Book of World Records, with over 10 million records sold.

The Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre's production stars Christine Mild as Patsy Cline. Mild has previously played Cline in 8 other productions and she is making her Fulton Theatre debut. She appeared in Broadway's Chance and Chemistry: A Tribute to Frank Loesser alongside Paul McCartney. Other credits include the world-premiere musical Love Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein by Tony Award-winning team Galati and Flaherty, along with many regional credits including Marta in Company, Rhetta Cupp in Pump Boys and Dinettes, and appearing in Sister Act, Evita, Cats, 9 to 5, Pirates of Penzance, Beaches and others. She has a solo album "Love Is Everything" and performs regularly with her band "Martin & Mild."

The production also stars Charis Leos as Louise Seger. Leos returns to the Fulton after previously playing Mrs. Potts in the hit production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Other credits at the Fulton Theatre include sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act, Paulette in Legally Blonde and Grandma in The Addams Family. Other regional credits include productions at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Theatre Under the Stars, North Shore Music Theater, Maltz Jupiter, Maine State Music Theatre and many others. Her performing credits also include Comedy Clubs, Las Vegas showrooms, performance with symphonies, live industrial shows and was a featured performer in Broadway Backwards for four years in a row.

Standby for Patsy Cline and Louise Seger is Heidi Kettenring. Kettenring most recently starred as Annie Oakley in the Fulton Theatre production of Annie Get Your Gun. Other Fulton Theatre credits include Alice in The Addams Family and Emily in Elf. She toured the U.S. in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Chicago credits include Nessa in Wicked with Broadway in Chicago, Joan la Pucelle, Queen Elizabeth in Tug Of War: Foreign Fire and Civil Strife at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Nancy in Oliver at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Anna in The King And I at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, winning a Joseph Jefferson Award. Film and television credits include Man of Steel, Chicago Fire and Cupid.

The production includes a six piece band on stage, the "Bodacious Bobcats." The band includes Patrick Fanning (Keyboard/Conductor), Stephanie McCullough (Violin), Chris Keeney (Guitar), Dean Clemmer (Pedal Steel Guitar), Michael Vitale (Bass) and Clem Lichty (Drums).

The creative team for the production includes Marc Robin (Fulton's Executive Artistic Producer and Co-Director of the production), Curt Dale Clark (Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director and Co-Director of the production), Patrick Fanning (Musical Director), WilLiam James Mohney (Scenic Designer), Matthew DeMascolo (Lighting Designer) Brittany Leffler (Costume Designer), Anthony Lascoskie, Jr. (Wig Designer), Jacob Mishler (Sound Designer), Katelin Walsko (Props Designer), Mark Johnson (Production Stage Manager), Timothy Markus (Assistant Stage Manager) and Stephanie Dupal (Maine State Music Theatre's Managing Director).

With special thanks to our Season Co-Sponsor, Fulton Bank, Season Co-Sponsors Hagelgans & Veronis, Rodgers & Associates, and Wendell Funk, Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Center, Production Co-Sponsors Penn Medicine/Lancaster General Health and M&T Bank, and our Audience Services Sponsor Willow Valley Communities.

New York Casting is done by Bob Cline Casting. Interviews are available with the cast and/or director based on availability. Production photos are available upon request. Performance Schedule follows at the end of the release.

Single ticket prices range from $28 - $71, with Student Rush available. Fulton Theatre performs in its home, the national historic landmark Fulton Opera House located at 12 North Prince Street in Lancaster, PA. For more information or to purchase tickets call 717.397.7425 or visit theFulton.org.

Always...Patsy Cline is a co-production with Maine State Music Theatre who will present the show June 7 - 24, 2017. For 57 years, Maine State Music Theatre has brought first class, Broadway-quality theatre to the picturesque town of Brunswick. The Theatre, contracted with the Actors' Equity Association's Council of Resident Stock Theatres (CORST), produces four main stage musicals, two children's musicals, and three special concert events each summer at the Pickard Theatre on the beautiful campus of Bowdoin College. Visit them online at www.msmt.org.

The Fulton first opened its doors in 1852. 164 years later, this national historic landmark theatre continues to entertain, educate and delight audiences, bringing live theatre, music, and more than 120,000 patrons into downtown Lancaster annually. Since its inception, some of the brightest stars of theatre, music and film have appeared on its stage, including Sarah Bernhardt, Mark Twain, Lionel Barrymore, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, W.C. Fields, George M. Cohan, Treat Williams and Lancaster's own Jonathan Groff.

Today, under the leadership of Executive Artistic Producer Marc Robin, the Fulton Theatre produces a mix of comedies, dramas and musicals, employing the talents of professional directors, designers, playwrights from across the country. The Fulton also offers classes for children, teens and adults as well as numerous community engagement programs across the region.

To post a comment, you must register and login.