Old Time Radio
Want to reminisce about some of the “good old days?” Or do you want a sample of what people are referring to when they talk about those “good old days?” Come to Main Street Theater’s spring production of Old Time Radio! You will not only be able to reminisce about some of your favorite radio shows of years gone by, but you will be able to see what goes on backstage/offstage during a broadcast, as well as onstage. You will be able to participate as an audience, responding to signs, such as Applaud, Laugh, Quiet, etc. This is basically a new format for our theater.
For those who lived during the radio era, you will fondly remember some of these shows-- Buck Rogers, Lone Ranger, and Burns and Allen. For those who don’t remember, here is an opportunity to experience what others are talking about!
This production will be costumed in the 1940s era dress, with retro-style microphones, cue cards to tell the audience what to do—and not do. The fun of a live radio show includes watching how the sound effects are used, how the timing is done, often with the necessity for ad libbing, and how the actors act onstage.
Actors must clearly-distinguish each character by using different voices for each one and emote their personalities clearly so they are identifiable by voice only. You will see them drop their pages on the floor, as they did in the early days, and see what happens if they accidentally drop the wrong page! The success of a good radio show is dependent on the balance between dialog (75%), music for mood (15%), and sound effects (10%). If any of you have heard Prairie Home Companion on Public Radio, you’ll understand what kind of a production this is. Garrison Keillor presents a live radio show, with an in-house audience that responds as directed.
In addition to being a live production on the MSCT stage, it will also be broadcast live on KEMB-LP 94.1 FM radio on Saturday night. If you do not receive 94.1 on your radio, you can still access the station from anywhere in the world by logging on to the Internet at http://www.emmetsburg.biz/ and follow the directions provided.
The productions will be held at the Performance Center at 19th and Palmer on April 10 at 8 p.m. and April 11 at 2 p.m. All tickets are $5 and will be available at the door – no reserved seating for this production. For more information, see www.mainstreetcommunitytheater.com
