Maine State Music Theatre Presents ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE 6/9-26

The Maine State Music Theatre will perform open its 52nd summer season with the ever-popular musical, Always...Patsy Cline. Directed by Chan Harris, the show runs from June 9th and through June 26th.

The show is based on a true story about Cline's friendship with Louise Seger, a fan from Houston who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961. Louise and Patsy corresponded from 1961 until Cline's untimely death at age 30 in 1963.

The musical play, complete with down-home country humor, honest emotion and an onstage band, includes many of Patsy's unforgettable hits such as Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, Sweet Dreams and Walking After Midnight...27 songs in all. The show's title was inspired by Cline's letters to Seger, which were consistently signed "Love Always...Patsy Cline."

MSMT fan favorite, Charis Leos, will be playing the role of Louise Seger. Charis has performed at the theater since 2005. She stole the show last year in her role as Jolene Oakes in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. She will be joining us for three shows this season.

Jenny Lee Stern sees her first appearance at MSMT in the title role of Patsy Cline. Her credits include perfomances as Mary Delgado in JERSEY BOYS in Chicago, Toronto and the 1st National Tour of the show. It was during this show that she met her husband, Jeremy Kushnier, who appeared on our stage playing the lead role in THE FULL MONTY. Jeremy was instrumental in connecting us with Jenny Lee's incredible talent.

Our Music Director for this production, Mark Janas, began his piano studies at the age of three, composed a sonatina at 5, and by high school was conducting the Hammond Area Youth Orchestra. While a senior at Indiana Univsersity, he was chosen by Leonard Bernstein to conduct at Bernstein festivals in Israel and Austria. He was twice Bernstein's assistant, for concerts with the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony orchestras. Janas music directed the world's largest production of Hello, Dolly!, creating all-new arrangements for its star, Marilyn Maye. He performed across the United States as associate conductor for two national tours of Les Misérables, as well as music directing for the Yale Repertory Theatre, Hippodrome State Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and New Dramatists, to name a few.

We are honored to have Los Angeles-based SennovA, and projection designer Jeffery Cady, as part of our technical crew, creating cutting edge projections to bring a new and exciting production element to this amazing show. SennovA is best known for their work with the Broadway production of Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT, which has been Tony-nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Best Musical. SennovA's work extends well beyond this with ABC's Super Bowl Halftime Show and the AMPAS Oscar Broadcast and Red Carpet. Jeffery Cady has designed lighting and projections for Columbia Artists Theatricals' tours of LOVE, JANIS and lighting for Theatre Leagues' production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.

Tickets for Always...Patsy Cline are available by calling the box office at (207) 725-8769, by visiting www.msmt.org or in person at our box office at 22 Elm Street in Brunswick.

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