WOONSOCKET -- Theresa "Tina" Tessier was an upbeat, fun-loving person who never shied from life, even while she was battling breast cancer, the disease which took her life on March 17. Up for a soiree until the end, the 48-year-old told friends that she didn't want a dreary funeral when she died, she wanted them to host a party in her memory.
So tomorrow night, Tina's party will kick off with a bang in the Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre with a full bill of talent, including singers, such as Greg Bonin and Nicholas Farrar, impressionists, comedians with the Ocean State Follies, and the six-member Providence Theatrical Ballroom and Dance Project. The master of ceremonies is Channel 12 newscaster Steve Aveson.
It will be a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, said co-producer Stephen Moreau, who is putting on the show with his mother, Ruth Moreau, who worked with Tina for years at CVS's headquarters in Highland Park. She described her friend as "the funniest, most loving person you'd ever want to meet."
Stephen Moreau said that the party, dubbed the Celebration show, promised to be a blast for everyone.
"You don't have to have had known Tina to have a great time at this show," said Stephen. "This show is totally different from anything that has been put on at the Stadium before. Anybody who comes is absolutely guaranteed a good time."
Tickets are $13 for orchestra seats and $10 for balcony seats, and can be reserved by calling the Stadium Theatre at 762-4545. The celebration starts at 7 p.m.
