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Bradley Bodeker

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It's a Wonderful Life: a live Radio Play

It's a Wonderful Life: a live Radio Play | Media List


Statement

Step back into the 1940's in this classic christmas tale by Frank Capra. Adapted as a live radio play.
This was performed at Stage 28 in Blue Earth, MN. by the Town and Country Players.
We all played voice actors for fictitional WBFR radio station. The best part of the whole play was the sound effects that were created by the entire cast from doors closing to cars running and windows breaking.
Follow George Bailey (me) as he makes his way through life, as a dreamer, who always tries to do the right thing and never realizing how much of a difference he's made in his community until and angel, Clarence, shows him what life would be like if he was never born.
Directed by Nancy Stienke

Reviews

from the fairmont sentinel by sarah day

BLUE EARTH - Get ready to step into the 1940s.

The Blue Earth Town and Country Players will perform "It's a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play" by Joe Landry for the group's annual dinner theater production.

Director Nancy Steinke said the actors will read from scripts for the "radio production." The play, originally written for five actors, has 35 voices. Steinke adapted it to have 12 people doing the "radio" acting.

The cast consists of four men, four women and four students: Bradley Bodeker, Douglas Johnson, Dan "Boomer" Welder, Ron Fox, Nancy Willette, Lill Robinson, Barb Pearson, Laurie Christensen, Aeli Olson, Molly Omland, Jake Berndt and Jordan Swanson.

"I just think it's going to be fun to watch people react to a different style of us performing," she said.

The "radio" performance will give the audience a view of the actors in 1940s attire, sometimes interacting with themselves.

One aspect Steinke is thrilled about with the production is the sound effects - all 105 of them. She said they researched how radio performed sound effects before the days of digital media. The actors will create sounds from crickets to police sirens, to wind howling and doors slamming. Some sound effects will be easier than others, but Steinke thinks it's fun and challenging to learn how to find or create items to get a desired sound.

In choosing "It's a Wonderful Life," Steinke considered that most Christmas plays involve some adaptation of the Christmas Carol. She was looking for something a little different, especially considering she's been directing a Christmas play with the group for the last 20 years.

"'It's a Wonderful Life' is such a Christmas classic," Steinke said. "I thought it would be interesting to present it where you're not so much watching it as listening to it. It's something different. This is another good classic that hasn't been done to death, at least by us."

Tickets for the play are required in advance - no door sales will take place due to the dinner. The show runs Dec. 5-7, with evening performances the first two days and a matinee on the last day. All performances are at Blue Earth Area Middle School on Stage 28, through door "N." Tickets are $15 each, which includes wassail, a pork dinner served by the high school choir, entertainment by the Madrigals and the production. Tickets can be purchased at the Blue Earth Chamber of Commerce.