CULMINATION

Today's the BIG DAY.

At 6:30 tonight, in the deepening dark of winter, the premier of ZRP's A Christmas Carol will air on WITT 91.9 FM.  

Whew.

It was a labor of love for script adaptor Susan McClelland.  The original Dickens story has always been close to her heart and adapting it for a one-hour radio show was a delightful challenge for her.  Her extensive and eclectic collection of music aided her in the sound design of the show.

It was a new medium for most of us.  Director Len Mozzi, a veteran stage director of everything from improv to Shakespeare, explored this new medium with enthusiasm and expertise. His ability to adapt to the new medium, to see this old story with new eyes and  his ability to bring out the very best in every actor was a gift to us all.

Len brought us a fresh take on this old Christmas ghost story: he felt  that the miraculous transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from miser to merry-maker was not the result of his fear of ghosts; it was the result of the love that surrounded him, from the loving guidance of his old friend Marley to the kindly and good-humored acceptance of his nephew Fred to the forgiveness of Bob Cratchit.  

This was a new concept for most of us.  Accustomed to traditional interpretations, most of us took for granted that Scrooge was scared out of his stingy ways and into a more generous way of life; the idea that love, not fear, was the catalyst for transformation informed every performance and the arc of the entire production. 

Armed with this fresh view of old material,  ZRP got to work.

ZRP was blessed with a stellar cast; every actor found his/her "voice." Some had participated in the medium before; some had not; but all were willing to learn and adapt and portray their characters with gusto and grace. 

We have John Griffin to thank for brokering a partnership with WICR 88.7 FM at University of Indianapolis for engineering the show.  We must extend thanks to Scott Uecker and Russ Maloney at WICR for agreeing to it.  And we owe a huge thank you to Jared Boomer, student station manager and patient production engineer,  for offering us his finely-honed skills at the board, his perseverance and great good humor through it all.

The production of A Christmas Carol was not without its obstacles;  after recording the entire show, the server that held it crashed and lost half the show.  It was back to the studio for everyone, whose commitment to the project was tested and passed with honors.  And then... Jared discovered that we had failed to record a short passage of narration.  Narrator Sam "Dickens" Fogleman, found himself hauling it back to the studio on a snowy morning.  And then again...for reasons known only to the cyber-gods, a couple of segments of dialogue just disappeared into the ether.  And now Jared was back in the studio, looking for them.  

And then.....done.  At last.  And not a moment too soon.  

As I sat in front of the fire last night at the home of Susan and Franklin McClelland listening to the show with the rest of the cast  (which you can see listed here), I marveled at this wonderful, wonder-filled production and all who had a hand in its completion.  It seems impossible that Zionsville Radio Players didn't exist a year ago--in fact, wasn't even in the concept stage.  And yet here we are clustered around the "wireless," listening to the old heart-warming story, made new again by using a fresh medium, fresh voices and a fresh perspective.  

May we all be blessed by the joys of the season and the transforming gift of love in the coming year.  

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: AN ACTOR'S PERSPECTIVE--PART III

(NOTE:  Zionsville Radio Players is currently in production of an adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol.  The script was adapted by co-founder Susan McClelland, was directed by Len Mozzi, rehearsed in Oct. and Nov. and is now being recorded in two sessions at the WICR studios at the University of Indianapolis.  The following was written by actor Dr. Larry Adams, who plays the role of Jacob Marley.  It will be presented in three parts.)

PART III

As I look once more around this eclectic group of friends and new acquaintences, it strikes me how strange it is we should all be working on this project together, how different our perspectives on Christmas are. How some of us this year will celebrate the birth of a newborn Savior found lying in a manger, while others most certainly will not and cannot; and still others of us linger in between, no longer hearing angel choruses or following mystical stars, yet somehow unable to shake the feeling that there is something important, something true lying just beneath the surface. These are the differences that stoke the flames of the yearly battle over “the reason for the season.” It’s a tired debate, but I suspect there are many reasons, or many facets to “the” reason, whatever it may be. Perhaps, though, there is one reason upon which all of us sitting here tonight can agree, the one Dickens envisioned so powerfully and lasteningly in this classic tale, and the one I hope we can share with a holiday-weary radio audience: the power of love- whether coming from the divine, or simply from family, friends, or strangers. Or even from a decidedly non-Jedi ghost. Surely love is the reason for the season, wherever one takes it from there.

So perhaps Dickens was right after all to set his tale in this time of the year and to place “Christmas” in its title. 

But still- why a “Carol”? 

Maybe because a carol is a song of joy. And what greater joy this season- and every season- than the transforming power of love? The power to transform even an Ebeneezer Scrooge. 

The power to transform a world.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: AN ACTOR'S PERSPECTIVE--PART II

(NOTE:  Zionsville Radio Players is currently in production of an adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol.  The script was adapted by co-founder Susan McClelland, was directed by Len Mozzi, rehearsed in Oct. and Nov. and is now being recorded in two sessions at the WICR studios at the University of Indianapolis.  The following was written by actor Dr. Larry Adams, who plays the role of Jacob Marley.  It will be presented in three parts.)

PART II

I set these questions aside as our director, Len Mozzi, calls the group to order. After a few introductions and warm-up exercises, the rehearsal begins in earnest, and I hurriedly glance through the few pages of the script I had printed out scant minutes earlier to familiarize myself with my role: Scrooge’s business partner, Jacob Marley. Marley is most definitely dead as Dickens’ tale begins, but at this point in the rehearsal process, I frankly can’t tell you much more about him than that. I keep flashing back to Alec Guinness in the role, from the 1970 movie musical I had seen as a lad, so when we reach my grand entrance tonight, I sound uncomfortably like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Serviceable, I think to myself, for a Dickensian supporting spirit in a show, but little more. Fortunately, Len wants more.

“I’d like to try something different,” he says, mercifully interrupting me before I go full-fledged Jedi on him. “Dickens makes a point to say that you’re Scrooge’s friend. His only friend. Don’t talk to him as a ghost. I want you to try talking to him as his friend.”

A minor thing, really. A tweak. No lines are changed- only voice, only inflection. Yet, for me at least, it makes all the difference. No longer limited by some sort of Disneyish, Haunted House intonations, Dickens’ words still show Marley’s torment, but also now his frustration, his compassion, his love for his friend. Len talks about his ideas for the direction of this production, and suddenly the rest of the show falls into place. 

The theme, simply enough, is love. 

Our Scrooge will not be changed by his fear of the supernatural, his regret for the past, or even the shock of seeing his own, future tombstone; he will not be dragged to his redemption this night by any form of self-interest, but drawn to it by the unconditional love of those all around him. 

This is our take on this overdone story; this is our message to the audience.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: AN ACTOR'S PERSPECTIVE--PART I

(NOTE:  Zionsville Radio Players is currently in production of an adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol.  The script was adapted by co-founder Susan McClelland, was directed by Len Mozzi, rehearsed in Oct. and Nov. and is now being recorded in two sessions at the WICR studios at the University of Indianapolis.  The following was written by actor Dr. Larry Adams, who plays the role of Jacob Marley.  It will be presented in three parts.)

PART I

“A Ghost Story of Christmas.”

That’s what Charles Dickens called it. An odd epithet for an odd story that, one hundred and seventy years later, we take for granted as a holiday classic- and which we all know better as A Christmas Carol.

As I look around the circle of actors tonight, the night of our first read-through rehearsal, I wonder how we can possibly breathe any new life into this old chestnut. The script is good, somehow managing to both condense and flesh out the story and its many characters. The actors, many of whom I’ve shared a staged with in the past, seem first rate. But still: it’s A Christmas Carol. Done and overdone in an endless parade of motion pictures, plays and parodies. What can the fledgling Zionsville Radio Players do, in only their second production, to make it fresh, entertaining- meaningful even- to a listening audience that has seen and heard it all before?

A Christmas Carol truly is an odd story, and oddly titled, being neither a carol nor, beyond the setting, a tale having much of anything to do with Christmas. There is no mention of a stable, shepherds watching their flocks by night, or a virgin birth- not even a Charlie Brown Christmas style reading of the Gospel. Despite his heavily supernatural overlay of ghosts and seemingly miraculous travels through space and time, Dickens presents a thoroughly secularized picture of Christmas in which to work his magic on Scrooge’s heart. Sweetest Day would have worked as well, I think; Halloween certainly better. So what is it that draws us to think of this story as a Christmas classic? Why the almost universal appeal at this time of the year?  

NO REST FOR THE WICKED

Well.

We did it.

In six months' time, Zionsville Radio Players went from concept to broadcast.

Whew.

We impress even me!

Our Halloween broadcast, aired on the night before Halloween, was a hit!

Many thanks to all hands who had a part in its inception, execution and product.

But, as we all know, there is no rest for the wicked.  And wicked we must be, since we are already well into getting our Christmas broadcast rehearsed and in the studio.

Susan McClelland has adapted Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol for radio.  We are working with a one-hour script that presents Mr. Scrooge and his transformation from crusty Christmas curmudgeon to

warm Wise Man, for he truly becomes a giving and loving presence in the lives of those who love him.

Rehearsals continue apace. First recording date is Saturday Nov. 16 in the studios of WICR.

Zionsville Radio Players are working to give you a Merry Christmas!

                                    

MY TWO CENTS' WORTH

Part the Third:

We had laid all the groundwork--writing, vetting, editing scripts, of which we had five: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, Macbeth's witches' scene, an original called Nightmare on Main Street, and Little Orphant Annie. 

We had gone through auditioning, casting and rehearsing.

Now we just had to record a usable set of performances.

We met with WITT 91.9 FM Chief -Cook-and-Bottle-Washer Jim Walsh at his studio near the banks of the Wapahani (okay, the White River) and set our plans.

We secured a place--the Community Room at Zionsville's Old National Bank--and the recording began.

Recording took place over three nights.  The high ceilings of our "studio" lent themselves nicely when it came to adding a touch of echo to some of our segments.  And greatly hampered the sound of others.

We adapted.  Folding screens, family quilts, sequestered actors--all added up to more suitable acoustics for selected segments.

Actors were surprised to learn that any piece could be recorded in short pieces instead of all at once.  It was a technique that took some adapting, but resulted in fresher, more skilled performances.

And the thing was done.

Music and sound effects were added by the capable ears and hands of Martin See and Franklin McClelland. All segments were strung together like the pearls that they were with transitions recorded by our announcer-in-chief, Roger Manning. 

Into Dropbox.  And on to Jim Walsh, our radio patron saint.

Tonight's the night!

8:00-9:00 p.m.
WITT 91.9 FM or stream it at witt919.org

Listen and let your imagination and your deepest fears run wild!

MY TWO CENTS' WORTH....

PART THE SECOND:

Okay.

Soooo...Susan and I were ready to start reviving the art of radio drama.  What was the next step?

I contacted Jim Walsh, chief-cook-and-bottle-washer of WITT 91.9 FM Zionsville Radio. Jim was enthusiastic.  He was welcoming.  But, he explained, although WITT had a donated production studio, it had no available engineer.  We would have to find our own.  He offered several suggestions:  find a willing engineer to use WITT's studio, find a studio (such as at University of Indianapolis or Butler University), or even engineer it on our own using programs such as Audacity or Garage Band.

After much investigation, it was decided that the first program would be engineered using Garage Band.

Next....who should engineer it?

This is where husbands come in.

Martin See ordered a good microphone and he and Franklin McClelland got to work learning the program.

Whew.  One problem solved.

Next up:  of what should our program consist?

We considered using already-published one-act plays.  We considered using old radio scripts. We wondered how much it was going to cost.

And that's when we hit on the idea of adapting classic/public domain material into radio scripts. The material is free and they have the advantage of name recognition.

And so the writing began.

Susan tackled several classic short stories.  I worked on a couple.  We read them aloud. We re-wrote, edited, re-read, re-edited.  And then had a screening party.

We invited about 30 people we knew who had an interest in theatre and asked them to perform and evaluate our adaptations.

With their help we decided on five, two of which we would include in our Halloween program:  The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, and a re-telling of an urban legend about a babysitter (aren't they always about babysitters?) and a clown.  The other three--The Open Window by Saki, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs--would be recorded in the first part of 2014. 

Lynne Manning, veteran writer of three Mysteries at Maplelawn, took on the job of shaping up the urban legend.

We had about 32-minutes' worth of material.  What could we add?

The shoo-in was Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. OF COURSE.  Spooky, atmospheric.  And free.  What could be better?

We added the classic Act IV, Scene I of Shakespeare's Macbeth--a creepy scene of witches on a heath casting spells.  Truly frightening.

And I stumped for a reading of Little Orphant Annie, a scary children's poem that spawned the phrase "the Gobble-uns'll git you if you don't watch out!".  It was a change of pace from the other pieces we had, it was by James Whitcomb Riley, the Hoosier Poet, and it scared me to death when I was a little kid.  We had to have it.

And so our Halloween concept came together in five classic pieces--different styles, different authors, different eras but all just right for the scary season.

We announced auditions.  We held auditions.  We cast our shows.  We secured directors--Len Mozzi, Lynne Manning, Susan McClelland, et moi.  We rehearsed for about two weeks.

We were ready.

MY TWO CENTS' WORTH....

Part the First:

I suspect many of you have found yourselves in the same place I am at this time--having a hobby you love, but having a life you love that precludes pursuing that hobby with all of your attention.

I have always loved the work of the theatre.  I love everything about it. And don't mind doing any of it. I love to work on sets by painting and decorating and sweeping up after the carpenters.  I love to organize a prop table, dress the stage, run the lights.  I enjoy the occasional directing gig.  And every once in a while, I enjoy stepping onto the stage myself.

I love it all.

And have been fortunate to be able to pursue the work of the theatre over the past several years.

But.

To say my life has changed in the last couple of years would be to vastly understate it.  

In two years:  two kids' weddings,a subsequent 5000-mile move for one couple, two grandchildren, aging parent's illness and demise, my own health challenges.

You know.  The stuff of life.

Consequently, I've been unable to pursue my favorite hobby given my very limited time and compromised health with my customary gusto.  

So....when Susan approached me with an idea to revive the (wonderful) art of radio drama, I was intrigued.  And, after the careful assessment of her idea over the course of..a minute or two, I was ecstatic!  

What a new/old way to do theatrical work without the time and energy commitment! And without the headaches and time and mileage and sweat involved in costumes and sets and blocking and months of rehearsal and box office receipts and and and....

And still doing the things I love the most--writing, directing, acting, and hobnobbing with my fellow theatre pals!

I got it. I was enthusiastic.  I was onboard.  

And things seem to have fallen into place.  

I believe that others share my current life situation--limited time, limited energy--and share my love of all things theatrical.  I believe this project has legs. It will afford so many of us a way to indulge our inner divas--and not-so-inner ones--without breaking the time bank.

Join us in whatever way you can--write, act, direct, underwrite a show, or just LISTEN.  'Cause, ultimately, that's what it's all about!

Patsy See

IN THE BEGINNING....

From Susan McClelland:

I’ve been in theater since I was nine years old. It’s probably the thing I know best. Growing up, I never wanted to be anything other than an actress and while I’ve dabbled in other hobbies and certainly have a wide array of interests, theater is still the place I feel most at home. When I got married and moved to Chicago nearly ten years ago, I took something of a break – my work schedule and being a newlywed and then a new mom and a whole host of things just made it really hard to want to give up all the time it takes to be in a show. It wasn’t a complete break, I’m not crazy! We had season tickets to Steppenwolf Theater and I had the privilege of working as the dramaturg for a couple of Chicago’s independent theater companies, including the amazing Lifeline. But actually acting in a show – nope.

Then, in 2010, we moved to Zionsville. After a few months of settling in and buying furniture, I decided to audition for the local theater group. I was fortunate enough to be cast in that first show and in several shows thereafter. I made some great friends (including one Patsy See – more on her later!) and had a lot of fun. But what I discovered is that being in a show and raising a family at the same time is really, REALLY hard. It’s a lot of time away from the people you love the most, doing something they likely don’t understand in the least. And while it is very rewarding, it can also create a lot of friction. Which is not to say that my husband and daughter (who is now seven) are not proud and supportive of my return to acting – they were and they are. But it is still challenging for all of us to find the right balance.

Somewhere in the midst of all this I discovered WITT 91.9 on my radio dial and I could not have been more thrilled. At last a radio station in Indiana that didn’t feel morally obligated to play John Cougar Mellencamp every third song! This was amazing!!! I loved the absolute unpredictability of it, the Broadway show tune next to an old blues piece next to something classical next to some stand up comedy. I loved that it was listener supported. I loved that it was run by some guy out of his second bedroom in Broad Ripple. I knew you could buy your own air time and I kept telling my husband, who had been a DJ in college, that he should have his own show. He was a bit “whatever” about it.

Then one morning I was driving up Main Street in Zionsville after dropping off my daughter at the bus and WITT was airing its promo spot about “do you have favorite local programming or even an idea for a program of your own” (or something like that – I forget exactly how it goes) and all of a sudden, there was my idea – we could do plays on the radio! Through the local theater group, there was a sizable circle of talent: people who could act and write and direct and sing and who knows what else! Nearly all of them had busy lives and families and felt many of the same pressures and challenges I did. This seemed perfect! I drove home and texted Patsy: “I have a great idea – will tell you later.”

Later, I showed up at her house, laid out my vision, and voila! Zionsville Radio Players was born. Well, sort of. It took a while for the name to sort itself out. But Patsy instantly saw the potential of the idea. We would use public domain literature and adapt it, as well as write our own original pieces. Minimal rehearsal time, depending on the piece. Nobody would need to memorize anything since it would be on the radio. No sets, no costumes, no giving up weekends to perform – just record it and it’s done!

We started writing almost immediately. We knew right away that Halloween was the perfect time to start – who doesn’t like scary stories? (okay, some people don’t and I’m pretty sure my sister is one of them, but whatever!) Everyone we told about the project was so excited and all our theater friends wanted to be part of it. We also planned WAY more than we had the initial capability to do, but that’s okay. This entire process has been one long exercise in humility and I am completely fine with that. There is so much we don’t know, but every time I find out we can’t do something, all I want to know is what we CAN do and I am happy with that.

To realize that drive up Main Street wasn’t even a year ago and that our first plays are about to go on the air? Amazing. And that’s where it all began.

                                   

                                           --Susan