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Thursday, November 18, 2021

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINMENT YOU HAVEN’T MEMORIZED YET: Three From The Theater Project


A CRACKED CHRISTMAS CAROL

WHEN: Nov 26-28 ON DEMAND
WHERE:
Pre-recorded Zoom performances
TICKETS: Suggested donation $10
INFO: www.thetheaterproject.org, 908 809-8865

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE RADIO PLAY

WHEN: Dec 3-5, 7:30 PM Friday & Saturday, 2 PM Sunday
WHERE:
Live streamed Zoom performances
TICKETS: Suggested donation $15
INFO: www.thetheaterproject.org, 908 809-8865

PODCAST: The Theater Project Thinks About … Holiday Movies You Haven’t Memorized Yet

WHEN: Nov 28 release
WHERE:
PODCAST - The Theater Project
www.thetheaterproject.org, 908 809-8865

In the spirit of “you can never put too many ornaments on a Christmas tree,” The Theater Project is offering not one but three holiday programs to kick off the season right after Thanksgiving. Focused primarily on new work the rest of the year, the company celebrates the season by putting its own spin on some familiar stories. Keeping the virtue in virtual, all these programs are available online.

PODCAST: HOLIDAY MOVIES YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY MEMORIZED. Need a break from Frosty and Rudolph? Tune into November's podcast, “THE THEATER PROJECT THINKS ABOUT...” when movie mavens Mark Spina and Harry Patrick Christian discuss silver screen classics with holiday settings as alternatives to shows that may have worn out their welcome. This episode drops on Sunday, November 28.

And yet, it wouldn't be a traditional holiday without a dose of Charles Dickens and Frank Capra, so why not see these tales interpreted in a new way: on Zoom and through the lens of the radio dramas of the 1940s. In A CRACKED CHRISTMAS CAROL, Lionel Barrymore (Google him!) and the Vienna Boys Choir can't make it to the radio studio, so the station manager, the cleaning lady, and one very angry product sponsor are forced to ad lib their way through the show, playing all the parts themselves. This prerecorded program is available on demand from Friday, November 26th through Sunday November 28th.

WONDERFUL LIFE: THE RADIO PLAY takes place in the Lux Radio Theater of 1947, where 12 adult actors, five children, a musician and one very overworked sound technician prepare for the big broadcast of the classic tale. The show has been a Theater Project holiday tradition live or online through four different theater spaces, four US presidents, and four George Baileys. Matt McCarthy returns as this year's George, who reminds everyone year after year, that “We can get through this thing, but we've got to stick together,” a message that resonates more strongly now than ever. The live streamed performances are scheduled for 7:30 PM, Friday and Saturday, and 2 PM, Sunday, December 3-5. (Left: Terri Sturtevant, Gary Glor, and Andre DeSandies are the returning veterans in the 15-actor cast of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE RADIO PLAY)

The Theater Project (TheTheaterProject.org), a leading incubator for rising talent and a showcase for New Jersey artists, has gained regional recognition for its ongoing programs during the pandemic, including its annual Young Playwrights Competition, ARK (Actors Reading with Kids) program, and its recently launched “The Theater Project Thinks About” podcasts. It was one of only 22 organizations in New Jersey receiving National Endowment for the Arts grants in 2021.