Live Performance of “A Radio Christmas Carol” returns to Kiggins Theatre

A live performance of the radio drama “A Radio Christmas Carol” will take place again this year at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver.

The annual performance is part of the Re-Imagined Radio project produced by John Barber, a faculty member in WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture Program. Admission is $8, tickets are available at the door or in advance through the Kiggins website.

Adapted from the Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” the performance features local actors and performers. The project is partnering with Metropolitan Performing Arts, a Vancouver-based school for actors and performers, this year.

In addition to the actors from Metropolitan Performing Arts, the “A Radio Christmas Carol” cast will include Steve Becker, the new director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association, in the role of Scrooge.

“We hope this performance will be entertaining, but it will also remind us that community needs are greater this time of year,” Barber said. “We encourage everyone who attends to bring a nonperishable food or monetary donation for the Clark County Food Bank.”

Barber’s Re-Imagined Radio project reenacts radio dramas from the golden age of radio in front of live audiences. “A Radio Christmas Carol” will feature voice actors and Foley sound artists. Digital and multimedia components are added to increase opportunities for audience engagement with the narrative.

Additionally, the performance will be live-streamed by Gerald Gaule, general manager of American Senior Radio Network.

“This greatly increases our audience and their awareness of Vancouver, Washington,” Barber said. “Our last performance was heard by 511 listeners in 28 countries.”