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.
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.
