The theatre department is working through COVID-19 obstacles in order to produce a radio show. This week, 15 students from a variety of majors are in and out of recording studios, recording the “It’s a Wonderful Life” radio show. The actors and actresses rely solely on their voices in order to send listeners back in time to the 1940s.
“We’ve got 15 students who have put a lot of time into making this happen,” director Carol Anderson said. “They are from all different kinds of majors, a lot of Media Com and Theatre, but then others mixed in. It’s really sweet because people will be free to go after they finish their scene, but as we’ve been running through where we need crowd noises and stuff, people stay.”
The idea for the show formed when many other universities announced they were not doing any theater productions in the fall.
“I thought, what if we took out the concern factor that anything can be closed at any minute and just record it by the end of September and beginning of October so it’s in the can?” Anderson said. “No matter what, we can say we had a production and got around the COVID concerns.”
Anderson said the theme of the show fits directly into what society is currently experiencing.
“It fits with this time of COVID, where people wonder if they matter, or everything seems so hard,” Anderson said. “It’s interesting because I picked it because it’s family-friendly, it’s a good story, and also, we could pull it off not knowing if we would get closed down. The theme of the story is that goodness counts. That in the long run, what you do matters.”
The whole cast rehearsed the show together for the last time on Saturday, Sept. 26. The rehearsal was recorded for performers to use as a reference when recording in the studio. Johnson Martin is recording and editing the entire show.
“The intent behind it is when we go into the studios, rather it being in little groups where they sort of feel like they’re floating in space, we can say, ‘Okay listen to the energy of the scene that comes before,’” Anderson said.
The show will be aired on Air90 near mid-November, and the link to listen to the production will be shared at a later date.
“We’re trying to figure out how to make it special, without just saying ‘here’s a link,’” Anderson said. “Right now, it’s going to be aired mid-November, and the link will appear right after Thanksgiving, towards the beginning of Advent.”
The cast will record for the third time tonight from 6-10 p.m., and they are continually following COVID-19 guidelines.
“We’re using plastic shields and a lot of precautions, clearing out the air between groups, so we have to time things so there are 20-30 minutes between,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to do this production and keep everybody safe.”
