Lone Star College-Montgomery drama students rehearse proper timing and use of sound effects for their performance of Joe Landry’s adaptation, It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, November 20-22 at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on Saturday, November 22, at 3 p.m. |
present Joe Landry’s adaptation, It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, November 20-22 at 7 p.m., with a matinee performance on Saturday, November 22, at 3 p.m. This beloved American holiday classic brings to life the story of George Bailey as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. Through the interventions of his guardian angel, he is shown all the lives he has touched and the difference his life has made to others. This version brings his story to life as a 1940s radio broadcast.
Courtney Young, adjunct drama professor at LSC-Montgomery, and the play’s director, believes the audience will be able to enjoy the classic story with a unique twist of storytelling as a radio broadcast.
“This is a great adaption to the story and provides the audience with a different version from what they’re used to,” said Young. “The audience will get to see actors creating sounds effects using 1940s props like a baseball mitt, a rotary telephone, milk bottles, a vintage car horn, and a wind machine, to really connect with the time period. It’s exciting to see how these sounds were made prior to the invention of a sound board or computer.”
Auditions for the production were held in October and drew a large crowd, said Young. The cast that was selected brought in a lot of great talent from different areas, but this production has offered many educational challenges for the cast and crew.
“This show is very different for young actors to take on,” Young said. “The students, most of who are only a few years out of high school, have had little to no voice (spoken) work. This is the perfect opportunity for them to get a crash course in how a person’s voice is really an extension of their personality. In order to perform as multiple characters, students have to adopt specific vocal sounds and physicality to help the audiences distinguish between characters.”
Young feels rehearsals are going very well and the actors are realizing just how much of a vocal workout it is to play 2-6 different characters in one production.
This is Young’s first show to direct in 10 years, and her first here at LSC-Montgomery. However, Young is no stranger to the theatre, or voice work. She holds a bachelor of arts in theatre from the University of Utah and a master of arts in voice studies from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK, where she is currently pursuing her masters of fine arts. She teaches at LSC-Montgomery and the University of Houston, and is a freelance voice and dialect coach for film.
“I think this is the perfect show to welcome me back to directing, as it’s so voice-based and I love the film,” said Young. “As the holidays draw near, I hope audiences who are familiar with the play are happy to see George Bailey come alive again, and his story presented in a very different way. I also hope newcomers to George Bailey’s story can gain an appreciation for it.” said Young.
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will have a special preview performance on Wednesday, November 19, at 5:30 p.m. There will be a pre-reception at 4:30 p.m., that is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. Tickets for the preview performance are free for students, faculty, and staff, and $5 for general admission.
Regular performance tickets are $5 for students, faculty and staff, $7 for seniors ages 55 and up, and $10 for general admission. Tickets can be can be purchased online at www.LoneStar.edu/Ticket-Info.
For more information, please contact Fong Chau, program coordinator for theatre/fine arts, at LSC-Montgomery, at (936) 273.7021 or email MontgomeryFineArts@LoneStar.edu. For information on the drama department at LSC-Montgomery, visit www.LoneStar.edu/Theatre-Montgomery.
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call (936) 273-7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.
Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for more than 40 years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and credential completion. Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and one of the fastest-growing community college systems in the nation. Dr. Steve Head is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, seven centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.