20 November 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Iowa Stage Theatre Company presents “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY”
Iowa Stage Theatre Company (ISTC), central Iowa’s home for award-winning theater that inspires, enlightens and entertains, is partnering with Iowa PBS (IPBS) to present viewers throughout the state with a new production of a holiday classic. It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is a theater adaptation by Joe Landry of the beloved holiday classic film. ISTC will perform this play live on Iowa PBS on Saturday, December 19th at 7:00 pm, with rebroadcasts on Sunday, December 20th at 2:00 pm, and again on Thursday, Christmas Eve, December 24th, at 8:00 pm.
“While the arts are not pandemic relief, they provide us essential relief from the pandemic,” says Artistic Director Matthew McIver. “This production of a holiday classic provides a heartwarming reminder of the value of community in troubled times.”
In 2018 ISTC presented Joe Landry’s It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at the Kum & Go Theatre, to glowing audience response. In Landry’s clever and skillful adaptation, five actors play all the roles from George and Mary Bailey to crotchety Mr. Potter to four year old Zuzu. The cast is rounded out with a Foley artist creating live sound effects. ISTC Resident Artist company member Kim Haymes won a special Cloris award for her performance as the foley artist.
After the initial run in the Kum & Go theater, ISTC toured the production to the Sondheim Center in Fairfield, Iowa. Audiences there were equally delighted.
For 2020, much of the same cast is returning, rounded out by members of ISTC’s resident artist company.
Freddie Filmore (playing Mr. Potter and others) ..........................................Don Rothweiler
Jake Laurents (playing George Bailey)......................................................James Serpento
Sally Applewhite (playing Mary Bailey and others).................................Tiffany Flory
Lana Sherwood (playing Violet Bick and others) ...................................Jennifer Hughes
Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood (playing Clarence the Angel and others)....... John Robinson
Bucky the Foley Artist.....................................................................................Kim Haymes
Directed by John Michael Graham, associate professor at Drake University and national expert in vocal training and teaching, the cast achieves a wide range of voices and accents, and portrays multiple characters per actor. The sets are designed by Jay Jagim who was recently honored with a lifetime achievement Cloris award. Costumes created by Emily Ganfield, who teaches at Coe College and Kirkwood Community College.
The production will be recorded live at the Maytag theater of Iowa PBS at 7 PM on Saturday, December 19. Iowa PBS will rebroadcast the show at 2 PM on Sunday, December 20 and again at 8 PM on December 24, Christmas Eve. Also, there will be a watch party online where participants can not only see the show but interact with the cast and production team.
Broadcast Dates Saturday, December 19, 2020, 7:00PM
Sunday, December 20, 2020, 2:00PM
Thursday, December 24, 2020, 8:00PM
Iowa Stage Theatre Company, founded in 2017, is a professional theater company in central Iowa that creates high-quality audience experiences of the greatest stories ever told onstage, from the classics to the cutting edge. Artistic Director Matthew McIver and our Resident Artist Company work to transform Iowa, its citizens, and arts community by producing truthful, relevant, and intimate theatre that inspires, enlightens, and entertains.
For Press Photos, please contact Laura Jordan by email at ljordan@iowastage.org. For more information about Iowa Stage Theatre Company, visit us online at iowastage.org.