Morgan Carter Woodring, Clint Bramkamp, Ramona Toussaint, Joel Lind, Karen Wiebe, Ian Tinney, and Kent Smith. Photo by Elaine Volker.
(Cheviot, Ohio) The Drama Workshop’s production ofA 1940’S RADIO CHRISTMAS CAROL will continue the next two weekends. Performances will be held December 13, 14, 20, and 21 at 8 pm, and December 15 and 22 at 2 pm, at The Glenmore Playhouse, 3716 Glenmore Ave in Cheviot.
A 1940’S RADIO CHRISTMAS CAROL takes you back to the era of live radio broadcast – and where anything can (and usually does) happen. William St Claire (played by Batavia resident Bill Keeton) is a star of stage and screen, and is making his radio debut as Scrooge in the Feddington Players broadcast from their new studio at the Hotel Aberdeen in Newark, New Jersey. St Claire propels the show to its climax as he has an on-air breakdown, and begins to connect his own life with that of the classic Dickens tale. In order to “save the show,” the company improvises an ending to Charles Dickens’ classic as a film noir mystery, featuring a hard-boiled detective, a femme fatale, and an absurd rescue of Tiny Tim (and the Lindbergh baby) from the clutches of a Hitler-esque villain named Rudolf.
Surrounding St Claire in the studio are company manager Clifton Feddington (Kent Smith), voice artist Cholly Butts (Joel Lind), resident womanizer Fritz Cangiliaro (Joe Penno), and the objects of Fritz’s attention, singer/actresses Judith Davenport (Ramona Toussaint) and Marcie O’Brien (Karen Wiebe). Sally Simpson (Morgan Carter Woodring), Buzz Crenshaw (Ian Tinney), and Jackie Sparks (Matthew Bross) provide on-stage sound effects using everything from a cereal box to a little red wagon. Toots Navarre (Dennis Betz) and Violet Robinson (Chimere Egesi) provide musical accompaniment, and technician Esther Pirnie (Tobie Braverman) and concierge Harold Mullins (Clint Bramkamp) round out the cast.
Audiences are invited to join in the fun as they serve as the radio program’s ‘live audience’, and are prompted by the ‘APPLAUSE’ sign on the set.
Six shows remain in this lively romp through radio-land. Tickets may be reserved on-line at The Drama Workshop’s website, www.thedramaworkshop.org, or by calling the ticket line at 513.598.8303. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children 12 and younger.
THE DRAMA WORKSHOP was founded in 1954. TDW is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to advancing education and promotion of the theatrical arts. The Drama Workshop is widely recognized as one of greater Cincinnati’s most accomplished community theater organizations, garnering dozens of awards annually from the Cincinnati Association of Community Theatres. TDW productions have been regularly selected to represent the Southwest Ohio region at the Ohio Community Theatre Association annual conference, and TDW was also honored to represent the state of Ohio at the American Association of Community Theatre regional conference in 2013. The Drama Workshop recently was recognized by the Cincinnati Preservation Association for their efforts to rehabilitate the former Glenmore Bowl into The Glenmore Playhouse. Prospective members, and individuals or businesses interested in becoming involved or in helping advance TDW’s mission are encouraged to contact the group through our website at www.thedramaworkshop.org, or by phone at 513-598-8303.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 