Ocean State Theatre Company Sets Cabaret Symposium & Festival

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC), the not-for-profit professional theatre company, currently celebrating its fourth season in its state-of-the-art theatre in Warwick, is pleased to announce the launch of its new Cabaret Symposium and Festival.

The brainchild of Rhode Island performance artist Ida Zecco, the Cabaret Symposium, will provide a unique opportunity for performers, actors, cabaret artists, singers, and more, to hone their skills. Participants will work on new projects under the guidance of a proficient team of professionals, including directors, music directors, and guest performers. The Festival will also offer an opportunity for Rhode Islanders to enjoy a short series of world-class cabaret artists and performances.

"Ida, who has been an OSTC Ambassador since last fall, brought the idea of the Cabaret Symposium and Festival to me about a year ago," said Amiee Turner, Producing Artistic Director of Ocean State Theatre Company. "We agreed that there was a void in Rhode Island, when it came to true cabaret opportunities for either artists or patrons. Additionally, although there are a lot of performing arts groups, there aren't a lot of professional training opportunities. She wanted to utilize her skills in order to benefit OSTC and the community and since cabaret is a form of storytelling through music, which falls right in line with OSTC's mission, I told her to bring me a plan. Being a celebrated artist herself, Ida was able to use her numerous connections within the cabaret community to bring her proposal to life."

The four day intensive symposium will provide participants with professional development and training in the art of song performance, comic delivery, monologue development, and business. Not only will participants work on internal connections to songs, their relationship with an audience, the development of patter, song selection and arrangement, show structure and comic timing, they will also have an opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills related to acting as a business.

Participants will appear in festival performances on Thursday and Sunday evenings. Participants will also have the opportunity to perform at the piano bar, which will be held in the lobby on Friday and Saturday evenings following the headline cabaret.

A faculty of renowned teaching artists includes theatre directors Amiee Turner and Fred Sullivan, Jr., music directors Jim Rice, Brian Patton and John O'Neil, former talent agent and personal manager Brian O'Neil, cabaret artist Ida Zecco, and scheduled guest performers Karen Mason, Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch, who will float during the day sessions listening in and providing some instant feedback. Other guest performers who are scheduled to appear include world-renowned vocal coach and performer Angela Bacari and Liza Minnelli's protégé, crooner Nicolas King.

OSTC's Cabaret Symposium and Festival will take place from June 23 - 26, 2016. Those interested in participating in the Cabaret Symposium must apply utilizing the online application, which will be available from January 1-31, 2016 only. Applications will be reviewed and accepted participants will be notified by February 12, 2016. Festival tickets will go on sale to the public on March 1, 2016.

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