PERRYSBURG, Ohio — If you're in the mood for dinner, a show and a way to enjoy the spirit of the holiday season, look no further than Perrysburg High School's inaugural Spotlight Gala Dinner Theatre's production of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play."
The show, which will be performed at the Commodore Building in downtown Perrysburg, is modeled after the classic Christmas film by the same name. Unlike the film, this version incorporates several layers of performance. Students will perform a live stage play as if they were radio play actors in the 1940s for a show-within-a-show experience.
To augment the '40s radio nostalgia, a group of students play broadcast announcers and narrate advertisements for comical products and sing catchy jingles, some of which they wrote themselves, and one of which predominately features penicillin.
While there are only six radio-actors, they play altogether over 50 characters between them, which students differentiate by doing different stylized voices, such as an eccentric Italian accent or the squeaky timbre of a young child.
Some students act as Foley artists for the production, using tools and voice to produce sound effects that would be necessary for any real-life radio drama of the '40s.
The proceeds from ticket sales go right back to the student-actors to enhance their theatre education. In the spring, many students will attend a professional theatre workshop in Cleveland to hone their skills. Money earned from the Spotlight Gala will help fund this trip.
Event organizers say this opportunity is important because it will keep young actors interested in Toledo-area theatre.
"This is so important because the '419' is known for its music, and its theatre, and its performing arts and its culture," Joy Ermie said. She's the president of Perrysburg High School Theatre Boosters, which participates in organizing fundraising events for theatre students.
She also said that although this is the Spotlight Gala's first year, she hopes to make dinner theatre a tradition, organizing one every two years to continue to raise money for students.
"We want to keep [the arts] here in northwest Ohio, and this is a great way to do it," Ermie explained. "So come out and support our kids, and their theatre and their music while they're young so they want to stay here and continue to perform for us."
Ermie also said the show makes a great holiday gift for the theatre-lovers and Christmas movie fans in your life.
There are two opportunities to see "It's a Wonderful Life: A Life Radio Play," both on Saturday, Dec. 17. The first begins with the show at 2 p.m., followed by dinner at 4 p.m. The second starts with dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 7 p.m.
Tickets cost $50 and include a full Olive Garden buffet dinner. To purchase a ticket, click here. Tickets sales end on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 11:59 p.m.
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