"It's a Wonderful Life" Barn Playhouse Christmas Dinner Theatre

It’s 1944 on the Prairies, and the magic of live radio unfolds as a small-town cast performs a Christmas classic.
At a time when few people could afford a trip to the big city, let alone the ticket prices to see a popular movie, radio stations would perform movie scripts in front of a live studio audience while broadcasting over the airwaves. Families would gather around the radio, the warm glow of vacuum tubes mixing with firelight as they tuned in to hear their neighbors perform.

On Christmas Eve, a cast of radio volunteers, a sound effects table, and a piano on hand are ready to celebrate Christmas with their own performance of “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
This Christmas classic follows George Bailey, a small-town man who sacrifices his dreams to help others, only to find himself in financial ruin on Christmas Eve. When George feels everyone would be better off without him, an angel named Clarence is sent down to earth to help. Clarence, an angel trying to earn his wings, gently shows George what his town would have been like had he never been born. Through this revelation, George discovers just what a profound impact his life has had on countless people. The story celebrates community bonds and mutual support. A wonderful life isn’t measured by wealth or fame, but by love given and received and by the positive difference one makes in the world.

Using the original movie script, Vickie has adapted this story for the stage/radio using the volunteer broadcasters from a fictitious prairie small-town radio station.