ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE Hits The Road, Plays At ACT 2/12-2/19

This Valentine's Day go "Walkin' After Midnight" to ACT Theatre and see what drove Federal Way audiences "Crazy" last Fall -crazy in a good way! You can't just see this show "Anytime," there's only 20 performances. Fresh from a sold out run at Federal Way's Centerstage Theatre, ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE will play ACT's Bullitt Cabaret Thursdays through Sundays February 12 - March 8, 2009 with an additional performance on Wed. March 4th. This show is guaranteed to give you "Sweet Dreams" and might even make you fall "Back in Baby's Arms."

"ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE" has enjoyed great success all over the U.S., including a successful run off-Broadway. This locally produced version stars Cayman Ilika as Patsy Cline and Kate Jaeger as the Houston Housewife Louise Seger. The Tacoma News Tribune commented that Ilika has a "marvelous voice and winning stage presence" while Kate "plays her [Louise] with comic perfection."

"ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE" is more than a tribute to the legendary country singer who died tragically at age 30 in a plane crash in 1963. The show is based on a true story about Cline's friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in l961, and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death. The show combines humor, sadness and reality. It offers fans who remember Cline while she was alive a chance to look back, while giving new fans an idea of what seeing her was like and what she meant to her original fans.

Having first heard Cline on the "Arthur Godfrey Show" in 1957, Seger became an immediate and avid fan of Cline's and she constantly hounded the local disc jockey to play Cline's records on the radio. In 1961 when Cline went to Houston for a show, Seger and her buddies arrived about an hour-and-a-half early and, by coincidence, met Cline who was traveling alone. The two women struck up a friendship that was to culminate in Cline spending the night at Seger's house-a friendship that lasted until Cline's untimely death.

ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE was created by Ted Swindley in 1988 in Houston, Texas where he was the founding artistic director of Stages Repertory Theatre. Erin Kraft is this production's director, Timothy Moore is the music director, and Dana Friedli lends her talents as the costume designer. Members of the Bodacious Bobcat Band include: David Duvall, Don Miller,Tom Malcolm, Larry Leggett, and Troy Lund.

Cayman Ilika (Patsy Cline) is thrilled to be back in Seattle in this role of a lifetime! She studied vocal performance at the Berklee College of Music (Boston) and musical theater in Los Angeles. Some of her favorite local roles include Julie in Showboat, Marian in The Music Man, Nancy in Oliver, Mallory/Avril in City of Angles, Louise in Gypsy, and a Snowbird in The Buddy Holly Story.She was seen most recently in the Village Theatre Originals production of The Gypsy King.

Kate Jaeger (Louise Seger) is very active in the Seattle theatre community as an actor, director and educator. Kate performs regularly with Jet City Improv in the University District of Seattle. Recent roles include ‘Mae' in Reefer Madness the Musical with RK Productions, ‘Raven' in Lease: Seattle's Rock Opera with Wing-It Productions and the ‘Sour Kangaroo' in Seussical the Musical with SMT/CLO.

Tickets: $25 - $35;
Seniors 65+, $2.50 discount on all performances
Students with ID, 50% off all performances day of show only
Advance sales available by calling ACT at 206-292-7676
www.acttheatre.org or e-mail at service@acttheatre.org

20 Performances: ACT's Bullitt Cabaret: 700 Union Street, Downtown Seattle
Thurs. - Sun. February 12 - March 8: 8 pm
Sat. - Sun.: 2 pm
Add'l performance Wed. March 4: 8pm

Centerstage Is Federal Way's resident Theatre Company. It was founded in 1977 and for the past ten years has produced shows at the Knutzen Family Theatre on the shores of Puget Sound. Initially created as a performance conservatory for aspiring actors, Centerstage's mission changed in February 2004, when Alan Bryce was appointed Artistic Director, replacing the company's founder, Sharon Munsey. The new mission committed the company to producing "innovative, accomplished productions of popular work and for new work with the widest possible audience appeal." ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE falls into the former category. Centerstage has produced many exciting new works in recent years including: 4 Christmases, commissioned from 5-time Grammy Nominee, John Forster; a new musical version of the Dickens' classic Nicholas Nickleby; Robin Hood the first full production of Tom Meehan and Martin Charnin's new project; Alan Bryce's Nightmare of a Married Man which won the Tacoma News Tribune's "Best New Play Award, 2007-2008 Season"; and two traditional English "pantomimes," including the wildly popular Aladdin, from one of the masters of this uniquely British Theatrical art form, Paul Hendy. Perhaps the most ambitious project undertaken by Centerstage will premiere in May 2009 when Centerstage presents a brand new musical based on the Jodie Foster movie, Contact. Carl Sagan's Contact was adapted by Alan Bryce, with music by European Composer of the Year, Peter Sipos, with lyrics by Amy Engelhardt, member of the popular a capella group, "The Bobs."

Photos courtesy of CenterStage

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