TPR & The Classic Theatre Bring Holiday Classics To The Airwaves

The Classic Theatre of San Antonio and Texas Public Radio (TPR) are teaming up to bring Christmas classics into everyone's homes this holiday season. Audiences can huddle around the radio and listen to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol on TPR channels across Texas on December 22nd at 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

The radio performance will hark back to days of yore when families would gather together and tune into their favorite radio shows. The version of A Christmas Carol audiences will hear on TPR is a one-man rendition written by Greg Oliver Bodine based on the novella by Charles Dickens, with actor Kurt Wilkinson playing Ebenezer Scrooge. Actor Ray Seams reads the classic Christmas poem Twas the Night Before Christmas, which was written by poet Clement Clarke Moore for his children in 1822. Narration was provided by The Classic's Producing Artistic Director Jimmy Moore.**

Audiences will not only hear actor Kurt Wilkinson's and Ray Seams' voices, but also wonderful sound effects designed by foley artists John Coker and Kaitlin Muse that bring the stories to life.

Coker says every day household items are used to create the sounds that bring the stories to life - Including crinkled up packing paper for fire sounds; a large antique firewood holder with a brush, as well as a tambourine with fingernails dragged on its surface for wind; and a ceramic set of measuring cups for locking door sounds, then placed in a glass jar and combined with several small random metal trinkets in a metal cup and a 25-pound hand weight for chains.

"We're just like folks 100 years ago - the combination of imagination, a simple sound effect, and just the right word still transports," says Coker.

"We're thrilled about this collaboration with Texas Public Radio," said Jimmy Moore, Producing Artistic Director of The Classic Theatre. "We're looking forward to bringing people together in a traditional way this holiday season and showcasing old radio practices with the use of foley artists. It's going to be a nostalgic event audiences won't want to miss."

"At TPR, we appreciate the power of a good story, whether it's a classical concerto, a longform news feature or an anecdote shared at a community event like Worth Repeating," says TPR President & CEO Joyce Slocum, "This collaboration with The Classic Theatre is about the power of imagination, inspiring listeners to visualize the characters, action and settings that are so rich in this telling of A Christmas Carol. The result is a wonderfully intimate, personal experience that can only happen with radio."

A Christmas Carol and Twas the Night Before Christmas will air on the following TPR channels on December 22 at noon and 7:00 p.m.:

KSTX 89.1 FM San Antonio and South Central Texas (noon, 7pm)

KTXI 90.1 FM West Central Hill Country (noon only)

KTPR 89.9 FM Permian Basin (noon, 7pm)

KVHL 91.7 FM Highland Lakes region (noon, 7pm)

KTPD 89.3 FM Del Rio (noon, 7pm)

KCTI 1450 AM Gonzales (noon, 7pm)

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