Arden Cabaret Series Presents Kristine Fraelich

(Philadelphia, PA) Arden Cabaret Series, in its inaugural season at the Arden Theatre Company, presents vocalist and actress Kristine Fraelich. Fraelich will take the stage Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23, 2016, at 8pm in the Arden’s 100-seat Studio Theatre at the Hamilton Family Arts Center, 62 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

Kristine Fraelich was last seen as Mama Rose in GYPSY at the Media Theatre. Other credits include the Witch in INTO THE WOODS (Theatre Horizon), Alice in THE ADDAMS FAMILY (Media Theatre), Emily Hobbs in ELF, Eva Peron in EVITA (Walnut Street Theatre), Diana Goodman in NEXT TO NORMAL (Arden Theatre/Eagle Theatre), Dot/Marie in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and Nurse Betty Gow in BABY CASE (both at Arden Theatre), and Ellen in MISS SAIGON (Lenape PAC). “Krissy” made her Broadway debut in Frank Wildhorn’s THE CIVIL WAR and played the Narrator for two years on the first national tour of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. She had the honor of performing under the music direction of Jason Robert Brown in his musical SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD at Symphony Space in NYC. She also was a member of the Broadway Gospel Choir and performed at Carnegie Hall.

Fraelich’s cabaret will focus on her life as a mother, actress and her work at a hospital and how she manages to juggle all three. “This is my story,” says Fraelich. “I’ll talk about my years living in New York and working as both an actress and a dog walker, the vocal surgery that changed my career, and how I got to who and where I am today.”

This is Fraelich’s first cabaret in nearly 20 years and she says there is no better place than the Arden to do it. “The Arden is my artistic home,” says Fraelich. “I feel so blessed for the relationship I have with them. Terry cast me as Annie in ANNIE when I was 11, the Arden gave me my Equity card and helped me become the actress and vocalist I am today.”

Fraelich said she will perform a contemporary mix of Broadway and pop songs and some other “favorites.” She also revealed that she will sing from NEXT TO NORMAL, the show she starred in at the Arden, and that she will sing with a guest or two, including her daughters.

Accompanying Fraelich is Peter Hilliard on piano and Justin Yoder on cello.

Arden Cabaret Series
The Arden Cabaret Series was created to provide an opportunity for artists to perform, develop and present work that is important to them, and offers a unique and intimate conversation between Arden artists and audiences.

Arden Artistic Associate Matthew Decker says, “When we opened the Hamilton Family Arts Center we realized we have the perfect space for cabaret in our 100-seat Studio Theatre. Many of our cabaret performers work regularly at the Arden and at other theatres in the region, and the intimacy of the Studio Theatre gives our audiences, and perhaps new audiences, a chance to see their favorite performers in an up-close and personal way.”

Decker adds, “We realize that the local cabaret scene often features performers from outside of Philly. Philadelphia is home to some of the finest actors in the region, and to be able to showcase those talents is both thrilling for us and deserved for them.”

Next up in the Arden Cabaret Series is actor and comedian Tony Braithwaite on June 17 or June 18, 2016.

Tickets and Reservations
Premium tables for $200 are available that seat four patrons each. General admission table seating is also available for $30 per person. All seating is BYOB, and the Arden supplies complementary corking service and cups, upon request. Arden donors and subscribers receive a $5 ticket discount. For tickets, call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, visit here or walk-up at the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

About the Arden
Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers–on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. Five productions are staged each season as part of the Mainstage series and two productions through Arden Children’s Theatre, the city’s first resident professional children’s theatre program. New work is produced through the Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. The Arden’s Education Department includes: Arden for All (AFA), a theatre access and education program for underserved young people; Arden Drama School, the after-school, Saturday, and summer camp classes for students in grades pre K-12; Teen Arden, an immersive after-school access program for Philadelphia-area based teenagers; and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program, a nationally renowned comprehensive theatre management training program. The Hamilton Family Arts Center is the new facility dedicated to education programs and new play development.

The Arden has received numerous honors including 62 awards and 307 nominations from the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The Arden is a winner of four “Theatre Company of the Year” designations (Philadelphia Inquirer), six Philadelphia Magazine “Best of Philly” awards and three “Best of Philly Kids” awards, the City Paper’s Reader’s Choice Award and the prestigious “Great Friend to Kids Award” from the Please Touch Museum for Arden Children’s Theatre work. For accessibility efforts, the Arden was named a “Keystone of Accessibility” by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Arden Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre company and a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the League of Resident Theatres, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Old City Arts Association. The Arden also participates in The Barrymore Awards, a program of Theatre Philadelphia.