Asbury Park, NJ, October 13, 2023 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) is thrilled to announce that their next production will be Ted Swindley’s Always… Patsy Cline starring Emmy Award-winning actress Sally Struthers and Broadway’s Carter Calvert for nine performances beginning December 1, 2023 at The Palaia Theater inside Jersey Shore Arts Center in the neighboring town of Ocean Grove.
“We are so honored to welcome Sally as Louise Seger, the Texas housewife who befriended Patsy Cline at local honkytonk early in Cline’s career. We have been itching to get her back to the main stage since she was kind enough to host APTCo’s kickoff fundraiser, A Little Musical Night back in the Summer of 2019,” said William Whitefield, Producing Artistic Director of APTCo. “And no one does Patsy better than Carter. They are both perfect for these roles.”
“It’s great to be presenting this show in the beautiful Palaia Theater at JSAC, a perfect setting for this intimate production,” says Bob Angelini, APTCo’s Managing Director. “By hosting us, Jersey Shore Arts Center is helping us to achieve our goal of bringing professional level theater to Asbury Park and the surrounding area. They have parking, they’re located alongside downtown Asbury Park, and it’s only a short walk to the shops and restaurants of Ocean Grove.”
More than a tribute to the legendary country singer, Always… Patsy Cline balances down home country humor, heartache and the hit music that made Patsy Cline a household name. The show is based on a true story about the relationship between Patsy Cline and Houston housewife Louise Seger. The production features a live band on stage backing Calvert as she expertly sings dozens of Cline’s hits including “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Anytime” and “Walking After Midnight.”
Struthers established herself as part of television history on the famed sitcom All in the Family, winning Emmy Awards in 1972 and 1979 as Gloria, Archie, and Edith Bunker’s only child. More recently, Struthers became a favorite of another generation starring as Babette Dell in Gilmore Girls. Struthers has played the role of Louise Seger on stage more than 900 times, and says about the show, “Patsy Cline’s hit songs are brilliant and nearly everybody remembers them. It’s hugely entertaining for everybody.”
Struthers told the Los Angeles Daily News, “People don’t know who Louise Seger was, so I can take the artistic license and play Louise the way I wish to play her. It is a wonderful chance for me to create a character that still says the lines that were written but do them the way I believe Louise must have felt in her heart about Patsy because she was just an over-the-top fan.”
Calvert’s credits include a Tony Award nomination on Broadway for It Ain’t Nothing But The Blues, a European tour of Smokey Joe’s Café and the lead role of Grizabella in the national tour of Cats. She has a critically acclaimed jazz album with the Roger Cohen Trio.
“I have been a fan of Patsy Cline since I was 7 years old,” she told the Portland Press Herald. “My father was a big fan. We had a Ford Fairmont, and it had an 8-track player. He was always playing Charlie Pride or Loretta Lynn, but one day he brought home an 8-track tape of Patsy Cline’s greatest hits.”
The Asbury Park Theater Company’s production of Always… Patsy Cline is directed by Jayme McDaniel, musically directed by Michael Gilch, features set design by Neil Prince and lighting design by Lyle Greene. The show is produced by Bob Angelini, William Whitefield, and Serena Soffer.
Always… Patsy Cline opens Friday, December 1 and performances continue through Sunday, December 10 with evening and matinee performances available. Limited quantities of premium tickets with reserved seating and general admission tickets with unreserved seating are on sale now. Prior to Always… Patsy Cline, the theater company will present APTCo’s Greatest Hits, a one-night concert on Saturday, October 28, also at The Palaia Theater at JSAC. The evening will feature the stars of past shows singing selections from Million Dollar Quartet, Green Day’s American Idiot and The Bikinis. Also appearing will be original cast members of the drama American Son as well as a surprise guest.
“With such great talent in our shows, a reunion concert is a no-brainer. We have had countless requests to bring these shows back,” says Whitefield. “We are so lucky to have such amazing performers as part of our family and we are so thankful they are willing to reprise some special musical and theatrical moments from these awesome shows. It will be a great night.”
The Palaia Theater is located inside the Jersey Shore Arts Center, 66. S. Main Street, Ocean Grove, NJ. Tickets for Always… Patsy Cline are $46 for general seating and $49 for reserved seating. Tickets for APTCo’s Greatest Hits are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the start of each show.
To learn more about Asbury Park Theater Company, and to purchase tickets for APTCo’s Greatest Hits concert and Always… Patsy Cline, visit www.asburyparktheatercompany.org.
Portland, OR, November 27, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– The FAN EXPO Portland celebrity guest list has always featured great variety, and five new additions to the 2026 lineup for the pop culture extravaganza are further proof of that. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Saw), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard), Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Star Wars: The Acolyte) and “Peggy the Dog” (Deadpool & Wolverine) will now attend the event set for January 16-18 at the Oregon Convention Center.
Elwes gained wide acclaim for his portrayal of “Wesley” in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride and reached new audiences by headlining the Mel Brooks spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights and later Saw. He also recently appeared in the Tom Cruise features Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and portrays “Mayor Larry Kline” in Stranger Things 3.
McFadden had the key role of “Beverly Crusher” in TNG, reprising the role in Picard, Prodigy and other iterations of the franchise. She is also a stage actress, choreographer, director, teacher, and was the host of more than 300 episodes of the podcast “Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?”
Koenig is best known for his recurring television portrayals both of the hated, intensely driven “Alfred Bester” (Babylon 5) and the likable, perpetually cheerful “Pavel Chekov” (Star Trek). Koenig’s film work includes the first seven Star Trek feature films, for which he earned two Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor nominations. His many other films have been independent projects with challenging roles.
Jacinto played “Jason Mendoza” on the full four-season run of The Good Place (2016-20) and later appeared as “Lt. Fritz Avalone” in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Also among his more than 50 TV and film credits are runs on the Hulu series Nine Perfect Strangers and the animated series Hailey’s on It!
Peggy, earning the title of “Britain’s Ugliest Dog” in a national competition there, has gone on to stardom as “Dogpool” in the Marvel Universe in Deadpool & Wolverine. A portion of proceeds from her appearance at FAN EXPO Portland will support a local charity in the Pacific Northwest.
The five bolster an already impressive FAN EXPO Portland celebrity roster that includes: • The Lord of the Rings headliners Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan • Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Men in Black³) • Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone) • Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation) • Harry Potter duo of Matthew Lewis and Bonnie Wright • Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Armageddon) • Robbie Rist (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Brady Bunch) • Ernie Reyes Jr. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) • Brian Tochi (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Revenge of the Nerds) • Kenn Scott (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, director/Adventures of Johnny Tao) • François Chau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lost) • Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, American Dad) • Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911!, The Goldbergs) • My Hero Academia standouts Eric Vale, David Matranga, J. Michael Tatum, Brandon McInnis and Clifford Chapin • Hazbin Hotel regulars Christian Borle, Joel Perez and Krystina Alabado
More FAN EXPO Portland guest announcements will follow from the worlds of film, television, streaming, art, literature, gaming, cosplay, anime, animation and more in the coming weeks.
Adult, Youth and Child Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Family passes, and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO Portland are available now at www.fanexpoportland.com. Advance pricing is available until January 1.
Portland is the second event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events.
About FAN EXPO HQ FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, FAN EXPO Cleveland, MEGACON Orlando, Toronto Comicon, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Denver, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Canada, FAN EXPO Dallas, VIDCON Anaheim, EDMONTON EXPO, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL and FAN EXPO San Francisco. The latest schedule of events is available on the website, along with up-to-date ticket information. Discover. Celebrate. Belong.
Nashville, TN, November 20, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– A fourth-generation U.S. Virgin Islander who has called Nashville home since 1993, de Lugo transitioned from an award-winning career in music publishing and feature film producing, with Platinum and Gold Albums, Arista Records A-Team Award, BMI #1 and more, to lavender farming in 2018. Focusing exclusively on Peace Tree Farm’s trademarked, heat- and humidity-tolerant hybrids—Lavender Phenomenal®, Sensational!®, and Exceptional!®—she has proven these cultivars are the definitive choice for Southern growers.
Lloyd Traven, President of Peace Tree Farm, the original breeder of these global-standard varieties, praises de Lugo’s early foresight and influence:
“Over a period of the last decade, Gigi has been highlighting our introductions that have become the Gold Standard for lavender worldwide, and she was an early proponent because she saw the extra value of these introductions… Once she knew the plants were different and far superior, she committed to making the right choice for her customers. She can now proudly say that she has started over 30 new farms on their journey across an area ranging from Virginia through to Iowa!”
From its original rented fields in Whites Creek—Gigi’s Lavender, was celebrated by “Garden & Gun” magazine as one of the South’s top lavender destinations—the licensed nursery has supplied thousands of Peace Tree-bred plants throughout Tennessee and beyond. In 2019, de Lugo founded “The Lavender Exchange (TLx),” an exclusive membership alliance offering ongoing technical support, resource sharing, cooperative marketing, and agritourism promotion to farms that source their plants exclusively from Gigi’s Nursery.
Traven also highlights the impact of this network: “Gigi also knows the great importance and value of marketing with expression of clear benefits and a clear message. She created the Lavender Exchange with this in mind—to provide an outlet for cooperative marketing and sharing of equipment and machinery and product ideas.”
This strengthened ownership ensures continuity for de Lugo’s research, educational outreach, and product innovation at the Joelton location, including her newest Patent Pending offering, “ZWave Mg”—a topical magnesium spray infused with pure Phenomenal lavender hydrosol steam-distilled exclusively from flowers grown by TLx member farms. Designed for relaxation, muscle relief, and better sleep, ZWave Mg showcases the wellness potential of Southern-grown lavender.
“This milestone gives us the stability and security to continue investing in our Southern lavender research, development, product distribution, and growing community of the farms we support through The Lavender Exchange (TLx),” said Gigi de Lugo. “From the beginning I set out to prove lavender could become a viable cash crop for Tennessee and Southern farms—not only a pretty agritourism field, but a real harvestable commodity built on Phenomenal®. It took courageous pioneers willing to bet on the unproven and stay the course with me. These years, alongside the extraordinary farmers of our TLx family, have been one of the greatest adventures of my life.”
Experience the pure essence of Southern lavender: Gigi’s premium products, including the breakthrough ZWave Mg, are available exclusively through her website, and retail partners across Tennessee. Gigi is in discussion with a Nashville based manufacturer to expand her ZWave Mg production capacity for 2026.
About Gigi’s Lavender Nursery & Farm Gigi’s Lavender Nursery & Farm is a Tennessee-licensed grower and an exclusive Southeast source for Peace Tree Farm’s Phenomenal®, Sensational!®, Exceptional!®, Inspirational!® lavender cultivars. It serves as headquarters for The Lavender Exchange (TLx), a premier network advancing lavender agriculture and agritourism across the South and Midwest.
