(WNY News Now) For a special, limited-edition production of It’s a Wonderful Life this holiday season, Jamestown’s Robert H. Jackson Center is transformed into a vintage 1940s radio station.
This holiday season, a special production of the well-known tale It’s a Wonderful Life will take audiences back in time for just four performances. You are cordially invited to the Cappa Theatre at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, which is transformed into a mystical 1940s environment.
This classic story moves from movie to stage in the unusual setting of WMTA, a radio station from the 1940s. This unique production is a live replay of It’s a Wonderful Life in the captivating manner of an old-fashioned radio show. The beloved characters of George Bailey, Mary, Clarence, and the rest of the Bedford Falls community are brought to life by outstanding actors in a way that is so authentic that you’ll think you’ve traveled back in time.
According to producer and actor Mike Thornton, a radio play uses sound effects, language, and silence to generate audio and visuals in a genuine way that interests the listener. The audience is drawn deeper into a state of disbelief by carefully controlling the volume and speed, which completely engages their imagination.
Tickets can be purchased at mtapresents.com right now.
Jamestown’s Robert H. Jackson Center, 305 East Fourth StreetDecember 20, 7 p.m.*December 21, 2:00 p.m.December 21, 7 p.m.December 22, 2:00 p.m.
* Meet the Cast Reception on Opening Night VIP ticket holders will meet the actors and enjoy wine and cheese after the performance! When buying tickets online, select VIP TICKETS WITH RECEPTION.
The Robert H. Jackson Center, which promotes education through programming, exhibits, and scholarship in honor of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Chief Prosecutor in Nuremberg, receives a part of ticket sales.
Cast
Broadway and film star Ron Orbach. Ron appeared in numerous popular productions across the nation and developed a part on Broadway in Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Ron recently wrapped up a performance of Fiddler on the Roof, in which he played Lazar Wolf and starred Jason Alexander.Stephen Stout, a native of Chautauqua and a Broadway veteran of numerous well-known productions, including The Sisters Rosensweig and Heidi Chronicles.In addition to being a two-year veteran of the Kennedy Center’s America’s longest running show, Shear Madness, Mike Thornton has been the principal actor for 24 years with the nationally renowned political comedy ensemble The Capitol Steps.Julia Niles, off Broadway, national tours, and leading regional theaters, such as her leading parts in Marian in The Music Man, Magnolia in Show Boat at the Central City Opera Company and at The Denver Center, and South Pacific at the Gateway Playhouse.Artie Award-winning Buffalo actor David Wysocki performed at the Irish Classical Theatre and Shakespeare in Delaware Park, among other venues.Paige Cummings, a bicoastal performer, just returned from working on stage and television in Los Angeles.Actress Christine Porter, a Jamestown native, has played numerous outstanding main parts in the region.
