Ocean State Theatre Company (OSTC) has announced that its fifth season in its comfortable, stadium style theatre located at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick will open with the Rhode Island professional premiere of the Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation, Billy Elliot The Musical.

“Ocean State Theatre Company has been ‘on the list’ with Music Theatre International for several years waiting for the rights to become available for Billy Elliot,” said Amiee Turner, producing artistic director. “To be able to produce this uplifting, meaningful ten-time Tony Award-winner is absolutely thrilling and the perfect way to kick off our fifth season in Warwick.”

Set in a northern mining town, against the background of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, Billy Elliot is the inspirational story of a young boy’s struggle against the odds to make his dreams come true. The story follows Billy’s journey as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, where he discovers a passion for dance, which inspires his family and whole community and changes his life forever. Featuring a timeless score by Elton John, sensational dance and a powerful story that has captivated audiences around the world, Billy Elliot The Musical is a funny, uplifting and spectacular theatrical experience that will stay with you forever.

Billy Elliot The Musical will be presented from September 28-October 23.

The season continues on November 2, with the winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, Doubt: A Parable. Set during the Civil Rights era in 1964 at a Catholic school in the Bronx, the story focuses on the school’s principal, Sister Aloysius, a nun who values a stern hand over progressive education. When the personable and charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is suspected of inappropriate behavior with one of the school’s male students, Sister Aloysius begins a crusade to rid the church of him - jeopardizing her own career as well as his. As the play unfolds, ideas of compassion, innocence, tolerance and certainty are tested, forcing the question the playwright, John Patrick Shanley, himself posed, “What is lost and what is gained when the world changes?”

Doubt: A Parable will be presented from November 2-20.

In late January, OSTC will present the classic screwball comedy Born Yesterday, which enjoyed one of the longest Broadway runs in history. Set in the 1950s, the show focuses on the vulgar, egotistic junkman Harry Brock, who has come to a swanky hotel in Washington to make crooked deals with government big-wigs. He has brought his showgirl mistress, the charming, but dumb, ex-chorus girl, Billie. Embarrassed by Billie’s lack of education and social graces, Harry hires a tutor, journalist Paul Verrall, to broaden her education and bring her up to speed. Blossoming under Paul’s encouragement, Billie turns out to be much smarter than anybody realized. Suddenly Billie awakens to the corruption of American government and becomes aware of all the possibilities the power of knowledge offers.

Born Yesterday will be presented from January 25-February 12, 2017.

Based on Louisa May Alcott’s beloved 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, Little Women The Musical, vividly brings to life the March family of Concord, Massachusetts. In a time of war and sacrifice the four March sisters - brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy and kind-hearted Beth, guided by their mother Marmee, grow from girls into women, while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. Produced nationally and internationally, Little Women has been praised by critics for its ambition in adapting such a well-known story for the stage. This timeless captivating story is brought to life in this glorious musical filled with personal discovery, heartache, hope, and everlasting love. With a book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, this show is sure to charm young and old alike.

Little Women will be presented from March 1-19, 2017.

The debate over evolution versus creationism is at the center of thrilling courtroom drama, Inherit the Wind. The play, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, which debuted in 1955, is still just as relevant today. The story fictionalizes the 1925 “Scopes Monkey Trial,” in which Tennessee schoolteacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in violation of state law. The play centers around two titans of the courtroom based on William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, who, before they were legal adversaries, were childhood friends. The two master attorneys square off in the courtroom, while the teacher’s fate hangs in the balance. This moving, riveting drama also takes a look at the way different journeys in life can lead to vastly divergent paths and, ultimately, philosophies.

Inherit the Wind will be presented from March 29-April 16, 2017.

Rounding out the season is the six-time Tony Award-winner, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Based on the popular 1967 Academy Award-winning film, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a young flapper named Millie Dillmount, who has just moved to New York City in search of a new life for herself. It’s a New York full of intrigue and jazz, a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a villainess audiences will love to hate, this high-spirited musical romp, with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics by Dick Scanlan, is a madcap merriment, with explosive tap numbers, charming songs, and the energy and optimism of the Roaring Twenties.

Thoroughly Modern Millie will be presented from April 26-May 21, 2017.

“Throughout the season, we will be announcing numerous special events, the continuation of our Piano Bar Series, a delightful family musical for the holidays, and the expansion of our Family Fun Fest,” said Turner.

Subscriptions for the 2016-17 Season are now available. For the coming season, subscribers can enjoy discounted rates with several different subscription options:

The 6-Show, 3-Play and 3-Musical Subscriptions allow subscribers to choose from the best seats in the house before they go on sale to the public, secure the same choice seats for each show, save over single ticket pricing, renew the same seats annually and exchange seats up to 24 hours in advance for a small fee. Prices range from $85 to $255. Those who purchase a 6-Show package for Opening Night Friday or Talkback Sunday matinee will save an additional 10 percent.

The Flexible Passport and Pick-4 Combo provide the ultimate in flexibility by either including six “seats” which can be used in any combination or choosing specific seats for any four productions. The choice is yours. The Flexible Passport and Pick-4 Combo allow patrons to enjoy most subscriber benefits, choose from the best seats in the house before they go on sale to the public, and save over single ticket prices.

Season ticket subscriptions are available for purchase at the box office Monday through Friday 12 noon-p.m. and Saturday from 12 noon-4 p.m. (The box office is also open until curtain time on performance days.) Tickets are available online anytime at OceanStateTheatre.org and via telephone during normal box office hours by calling 921-6800. Single tickets for the 2016-17 Season will go on sale to the public beginning June 20.