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Never Retallack<\/strong>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Entertainment Editor<\/span><\/p>\n Directed by one of Western\u2019s theater faculty members, Professor Kent Neely, comes \u201cIt\u2019s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.\u201d This classic Christmas tale is based on a short story called, \u201cThe Greatest Gift\u201d by Philip Van Doren Stern published in 1943. Later on, it became a film, and then adapted into a play \u2014 Western\u2019s performance is based off Joe Landry\u2019s adaptation of the screenplay.<\/span><\/p>\n Landry\u2019s adaptation is a radio show reading, where the actors on stage are acting like they are actors for a radio. This brought some much needed comedy into the somewhat sad play, with silly ads for dandruff and dirty car windows sung to the tune of classic Christmas carols.<\/span><\/p>\n Emily Hedges, an interdisciplinary studies senior at Western said, \u201cI\u2019ve seen the play before, but never as a radio show; it made it a very unique and interesting performance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Watching the student actors perform, I was pleasantly surprised with their quality and dedication throughout the performance.<\/span><\/p>\n With only ten actors, and one accompianist, it was an intimate cast with each actor playing more than one role. This is where the talent of the cast shone through; certain actors would speak in a heavy Irish accent one minute, then a tough east coast accent within the next breath, never missing a beat.<\/span><\/p>\n An interesting aspect of this production was also the use of a live sound effects board containing many objects for two cast members to create realistic noises without technology. The objects included a belt, marbles, a wooden box, a whistle and so many more. Like dropping objects into a box during a scene where they were collecting money.<\/span><\/p>\n The two cast members who managed the sound board, Trina Schwabauer and Sara Wright, had other roles as well, juggling the sound effects and their characters. This added another element of interest for viewers, since there were no props for the story of \u201cIt\u2019s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,\u201d they were on a set, but not interacting with anything \u2014 staying stagnant in front of their microphones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Overall rating: the actors in this production did a great job, jumping around from character to character, all with interesting facial expressions and compelling dialogue. It was an all around enjoyable performance.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cast List<\/span><\/p>\n Jake Laurents \u2026\u2026\u2026 Matthew Ramage<\/span><\/p>\n Sally Applewhite \u2026\u2026\u2026 Lea Sheldone<\/span><\/p>\n Betty Smith \u2026\u2026\u2026 Selena Moreno<\/span><\/p>\n Lana Sherwood \u2026\u2026\u2026 Citlalli Castaneda<\/span><\/p>\n Freddie Filmore \u2026\u2026\u2026 Jacob Fritts<\/span><\/p>\n Harry \u201cJazzbo\u201d Heywood \u2026\u2026\u2026 William Evans<\/span><\/p>\n Homer Duncan \u2026\u2026\u2026 Steven Cummings<\/span><\/p>\n Opal Ferguson \u2026\u2026\u2026 Sara Wright<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/files\/2019\/11\/play3-color-1024x826.jpg\")
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