Ocean State Theatre's THE WINTER WONDERETTES and SANTALAND DIARIES Open in New Space, 12/5 & 12

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC), the not-for-profit which brought new life to the historic Theatre By The Sea for the past five years, has announced the opening of their first two productions at their new state-of-the-Art Theatre located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick. Something "Naughty & Nice" for the Holidays, which features productions of both SantaLand Diaries and The Winter Wonderettes, will open in previews on Wednesday, December 5.

SantaLand Diaries is the hilarious, yet sardonic account of a Christmas elf working in SantaLand at Macy's department store. Having first surfaced as an essay by David Sedaris on NPR's Morning Edition, SantaLand Diaries has grown to become a seasonal staple of regional theatres across the country. Some adult content and humor, make this the perfect "naughty" companion for the holiday opening.

Theatre By The Sea favorite Lennie Watts, who won rave reviews for his portrayal of Man in Chair in Ocean State Theatre Company's production of The Drowsy Chaperone (2011), stars as Crumpet the Elf. The production will be directed by Producing Artistic Director, Amiee Turner, who directed this past summer's productions of both The Sound of Music and God of Carnage and previous TBTS productions of The 39 Steps, Man of La Mancha, Spelling Bee, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Motif Awards for Best Director and Summer Stock Production), Crazy For You, George M!, Evita, and Forum. SantaLand Diaries will be presented from December 12 – 30.

Missy, Suzy, Betty Jean, and Cindy Lou help you ring in the holidays as the girls at Harper's Hardware prepare for their 1968 holiday party! The Marvelous Wonderettes bring their signature harmony to songs from "O Tannenbaum" and "Winter Wonderland" to "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Jingle Bell Rock." Winter Wonderettes is loads of fun for the whole family to enjoy together and the perfectly "nice" companion for the holiday opening!

Directed by Producing Artistic Director, Amiee Turner, with musical direction by Boston Conservatory grad and Broadway performer, Dan Micciche, and choreography by Christopher Kirby, The Winter Wonderettes features the talents of Lulu Lloyd, who was praised by the critics for her portrayal of Judy in OSTC's production of 9 to 5: The Musical; Melissa Robinette, who portrayed Finch's love interest, Rosemary, this past summer in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; New York actress Kim Morgan Dean, who us currently taking on the title role in Always…Patsy Cline at the Greenbrier VAlley Theatre in West Virginia; and Erin McCracken, who won rave reviews for her portrayal of Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (2011). The Winter Wonderettes will be presented from December 5 – 30.

The theatre is located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI. Tickets for SantaLand Diaries are $25 for previews and $25 - $47 for regular performances. Tickets for The Winter Wonderettes are $39 for previews and $39 - $54 for regular performances. Discount rates for groups of 20 or more are available by calling (401) 245-1426. Tickets are available at the box office, (located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI), Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm and Saturday from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm, via telephone by calling (401) 921-6800 during regular box office hours and online 24 hours a day at OceanStateTheatre.org.

Subscriptions and single tickets for the Inaugural Season, which includes Fools by Neil Simon, Rent by Jonathan Larson, Race by David Mamet and The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein, are also available.

Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC) is an IRS designated not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. The purpose set forth by OSTC is to preserve and pass on the tradition of live, professional theatre – including the American musical – and to pursue avenues of enrichment and education for the benefit of the state of Rhode Island and the surrounding region through the theatre arts.

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