Over the past nine years, The Orpheum Theatre has produced holiday radio plays that have told classic tales from It’s a Wonderful Life to Miracle on 34th Street to A Christmas Carol. The radio play has transported audiences back in time to a 1940s radio studio broadcasting live on Christmas Eve. Stories would come to life as a small cast of actors perform them standing at an array of old-fashioned microphones, accompanied by live sound effects, musical underscoring, vintage commercials and more. The applause sign flashed, the actors squabbled in the background, and familiar holiday tunes were heard all the while.
Christmas on the Air features a collection of holiday episodes written by Tim Holmes. Set in a radio studio, patrons take on the role of the live studio audience during a Christmas Eve broadcast. Many of the beloved members of the Playhouse on the Air ensemble will perform stories and sketches based on such popular radio shows as “My Favorite Husband”, “Our Miss Brooks”, “The Lone Ranger”, and LUX Radio Theatre.
Christmas on the Air will be recorded live in front of you, the studio audience, on Tuesday, December 20 at 7:00 p.m. The show will then be broadcasted on Tri States Public Radio over the Christmas holiday weekend. Listen on WIUM 91.3FM Macomb or 106.3 FM Burlington, WIUW 89.5FM Keokuk/Warsaw, or WVKC 90.7FM Galesburg. Listeners may also listen at the designated times via live stream on Tri States Public Radio’s website at tspr.org.
This is a fun show for the entire family! General admission tickets are only $10, and went on sale Tuesday, November 22. The Orpheum Box Office is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday thru Friday or purchase tickets online 24/7 at www.galesburgorpheum.org/tickets.