Portland Stage to Present IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY

Portland Stage presents It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play adapted by Joe Landry November 24 - December 24, 2017. Celebrate the Holiday Season with this beloved American classic.

This heartwarming story of renewal is retold as a 1940's radio broadcast complete with sound effects performed live on stage. With the help of an ensemble and an angel named Clarence, George Bailey discovers the million different ways we are tied to those around us.

It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play comes to Portland Stage this holiday season when the Mainstage Theater will become a live radio studio, replete with period microphones, a sound effects table and hanging 'Applause' sign. Set in the 1940's- the golden age of radio- five professional actors and an ensemble of local children will bring this classic story to life. With this production the audience is the radio studio audience of yesteryear as the actors play multiple roles to tell George Bailey's tale of renewal and rejuvenation. As the performance progresses the lines between the actors playing roles for the radio audience, and the real characters in the story begin to blur, and everyone is brought into the embrace of this nostalgic adaptation that allows the community a fresh chance to see the beautiful tale anew.

"It's a Wonderful Life" is the story of George Bailey, a typical American dreamer. As a young man George is filled with big dreams and aspirations for the future. Raised in the small town of Bedford Falls, his father, a hard working honest man, runs the local Building and Loan and helps people better their circumstances. He does this honorably, despite the interference of the grumpy and stingy Mr. Potter, 'the richest and meanest man in town.' George works at the Building and Loan for four years in order to save for college, but life has other plans for him. When George's father dies from a stroke, George trades in his dreams and takes over his father's business. This causes him to stay in the small town of Bedford Falls, where he eventually falls in love and marries Mary Hatch, a young woman who has loved him since she was a child. They live in a drafty, but cozy home and have four children.

George now runs the Building and Loan with his forgetful Uncle Billy. When war comes, George is unable to fight because of an ear injury from saving his brother Harry when they were children. Harry, however, goes off to war and becomes a famous fighter pilot, winning the Congressional Medal of Honor.

On the day his brother is to return home, George gives his Uncle Billy an envelope with a considerable deposit for the Building and Loan. Billy carelessly hands the envelope, concealed in a newspaper, to Mr. Potter when trying to show him an article. Mr. Potter uses this to hatch a scheme to bankrupt the Building and Loan. When George and Billy discover that the envelope is missing, they go into a frenzy to try and find it to no avail. Soon the complications of George's life seems too much, and seeing the impending doom of his father's business George is driven to attempt suicide, by jumping off a bridge.

Enter Clarence, George's Guardian Angel eager to earn his wings. George tells Clarence that he wishes he had never been born. Clarence then shows George that world.

George is able to see the profound effect he has had on each and every person in his life. He sees the fate that awaited them if he was not there to intervene. Upon seeing his wife Mary, and she not recognizing him, George begs Clarence to return him to his home, "I want to live."

George returns home ready to face the consequences of losing the money and the closing of the Building and Loan. He rushes to his home to see his family and hold his children. When he gets there Mary is not home, but a policeman and State Department head are there waiting to take him to prison for theft. Mary then busts through the door. George overjoyed to see his wife muffles her exclamation about the group of people coming to their home. The whole family looks outside to see a crowd of people eager to give whatever they can to help George because of the good he has done for them. At the close of the play George's daughter Zuzu hears a bell and tells her father something that she learned in school. "Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings." To which George replies, "Attaboy Clarence."

CHARACTERS

Below are some important characters in the story "It's A Wonderful Life." Each actor in It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will play multiple characters from the story. Some important characters to remember:

- George Bailey, a typical American dreamer

- Clarence, George's Guardian Angel, working to earn his wings

- Peter Bailey, George's father, a hardworking man

- Mary Hatch, George's wife

- Harry Bailey, George's little brother

- Billy Bailey, George's absent-minded uncle

- Henry F. Potter, the richest, meanest man in the county

WHAT IS A LIVE RADIO PLAY?

Before television, the largest popular form of entertainment was the radio. Much like today, families would have their dinner and then sit around the radio waiting to hear either the news or their favorite radio program. These programs ranged from short stories about the same characters, much like a sitcom, or a full-length play like a movie. Comparisons to contemporary times might be similar to the live radio show that Garrison Keillor does today with his show Prairie Home Companion.

Radio shows were usually done by a few actors playing multiple characters and there was a person responsible for all of the sounds created during the show. All of the sounds created helped to make the experience of listening to the show as real as being in the story itself. These same actors and artists were responsible for the advertisements placed within the length of the program. "Commercial Breaks" were done by the same actors that enacted the plays! In It's a Wonderful Life Radio Play one is able to experience all of the inner workings of a radio play. This involved story will come to life with only a handful of actors doing all the work required of an actual radio show.

THE 2017-2018 SEASON

Portland Stage creates one-of-a-kind productions specifically planned for its community. Each season, Stewart looks for a way to connect the plays with a thematic thread. For the 2017-2018 Season, that thematic thread is a sense of discovery about the characters. One might think they know who they are meeting in the first scene, but as the play continues, audiences discover that characters they thought they knew, have an unexpected side. Stewart thinks these stories highlight the individuality of people. She hopes the community will see themselves in them, and be able to relate them to their lives, to their communities, and to their own family traditions right here in Maine.

"It is always inspiring to have a group of people who see a body of work, start to finish. I greatly appreciate the willingness of our audience to venture with us on a wide range of theatrical journeys. I'm especially excited about the line-up for the upcoming 2017-2018 Season, which includes several new plays that I think audiences will like." Anita Stewart Executive and Artistic Director.

There is a lot within this season to think about, experience and discuss. For more information, or to subscribe, visit portlandstage.org.

Single tickets are on sale for all of the shows listed. All subscribers get a 15% discount off adult tickets to this year's holiday show, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, sold separately from subscription packages. Call the box office for more information at 207.774.0465.

---

PORTLAND STAGE'S REMAINING 2017-18 SEASON:

Babette's Feast
Conceived and developed by Abigail Killeen
Written by Rose Courtney
Adapted from the short story by Isak Dinesen
January 23 - February 18

A refugee transforms a closed religious community by sacrificing all she has to throw a lavish dinner party. Through her radical hospitality, this mysterious woman converts her guests' deeply held notions of scarcity and judgment and opens them up to give and receive abundant grace. This adaptation re-imagines the story you thought you knew about Babette's singular feast: deep, funny, dangerous, sensual, and beautiful.

Red Herring
by Michael Hollinger
February 27 - March 25

Maggie's a tough, Boston cop, trying to get her finger on the one man who gave her the slip: Jack Murphy, a sly crime boss who worked his way into her heart. As she deals with murder, mystery, and intrigue in Boston Harbor, she also has to deal with Frank, an FBI gumshoe with a proposal more dangerous than commie spies, murderous mobs, and McCarthyism combined: marriage.

The Niceties
by Eleanor Burgess
April 3 - April 22

In this riveting two-person drama, Zoe, a biracial student, and Janine, her white professor, meet to discuss their differing views on Zoe's paper about slavery and the American Revolution. This polite clash of ideas soon landslides into an explosive discussion of race, history, privilege, and social justice.

Sex and Other Disturbances
by Marisa Smith
May 1 - May 20

Join us for the world premiere of New England playwright Marisa Smith's latest play. Sarah's husband is obsessed with the collapse of Western civilization. On a search for happiness and escape, she unexpectedly finds herself having a little affair, wondering, "What's the harm?" Sarah finds out the hard way in this fast-paced comedy about friendship, love, sex, and other disturbances.

To post a comment, you must register and login.