A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play
The Victory Hall Players, a local acting troupe based in Scottsville, will bring the classic A Christmas Carol play, adapted for the stage by Joe Landry, into a new light. They take the old tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his humbugging ways and tell it through the lens of a live 1940’s radio broadcast full of old-time commercials and all.
The live radio play debuts on Thursday Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m., it goes for about 90 minutes and has a 15-minute intermission. It plays Dec. 9 through 11 at the same time. The play is held at Victory Hall Theater in the center of downtown Scottsville, right near Baine’s Books and Coffee and the James River Brewery. It is hosted by the Scottsville Center for Arts and Nature (SCAN), a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a love of learning, nature, and arts.
Kristin Freshwater, the artistic director of theater at SCAN, explained why the radio play format was chosen. Freshwater said that the radio play format was first chosen because it has less cost, time commitment, and elaborate costumes needed. Everyone is busy toward the holiday season and the approaching end of the school semester. She said, “The format also creates a relaxing environment that is super fun and interactive for the audience.”
Tickets can be found online or purchased at the entrance of the theater on the nights of the performances. The show is kid friendly and wheelchair accessible. Prices for tickets range from $5 to $15. Children under 12 years old are $5, seniors 65 years or older and students 13-17 years old are $10 each, while adults are $15. Because of COVID-19, everyone in attendance is asked to wear masks. Freshwater explained that the theater is only seating 75 people with social distancing between each group.
“We will be producing Courtney Walker’s ‘The Mom Journals’ May 13th & 14th, 2022. Courtney is a local playwright and a member of ‘Victory Hall Players,’” Freshwater wrote. They are still working out the details and will give more information later. The Victory Hall Players try to have several events throughout the year.
Last year the Victory Hall Players did the same radio play before Christmas. The audience laughed at commercials for outdated merchandise as they were pitched, and the stage was full of energy as actors played their different roles with gusto.
“You get to really explore the role that sound and voice plays in storytelling. The live on-stage sound effects help to create a fun and immersive atmosphere for the actors and the audience,” Freshwater wrote.
The radio play brings a creative twist to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol story. It is an event aimed for all ages and backgrounds filled with song, laughter, and Christmas spirit. Freshwater said, “There’s nothing like transporting yourself back to the 1940s to immerse yourself in a classic Christmas story. What could be more nostalgic?”
