News Releases

Owens Center for Fine and Performing Arts Presents ‘It’s A Wonderful Life: Live From WVL Radio Theatre’ Production, Dec. 10

PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, OH – Area residents are invited to take a journey back to the 1940s and the Golden Age of Radio as Owens Community College’s Center for Fine and Performing Arts presents an authentic “live radio broadcast” of Frank Capra’s beloved film “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Friday, Dec. 10.

Titled “It’s A Wonderful Life: Live From WVL Radio Theatre”, the production will take place in the College’s Mainstage Theatre at 8 p.m. The Owens Toledo-area Campus is located on Oregon Road in Perrysburg Township.

“Owens Community College is proud to present a theatre production that will rekindle memories of a time when families gathered around the radio for entertainment,” said Barbara Barkan, Owens Director for the Center for Fine and Performing Arts. “‘It’s A Wonderful Life: Live From WVL Radio Theatre’ brings to life a bygone era when radio played a unique entertainment role in our country. Attendees are in for a theatrical experience unlike any other, which begins when the ‘On-Air’ sign lights up and actors and actresses tell the story of the heartwarming holiday classic ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ from the studios of WVL Radio.”

Produced by the North Carolina State Company and Immediate Theatre Project, “It’s A Wonderful Life: Live From WVL Radio Theatre” retells the uplifting and bittersweet tale of George Bailey’s close call with death on Christmas Eve and the profound impact it has on those around him. More than 30 characters and numerous locations of Frank Capra’s timeless classic film will be showcased in the form of live radio drama. Popular in the 1940s, the live studio radio broadcast will feature a small group of actors and actresses as well as old-fashioned radio sound effects to bring the town of Bedford Falls to life.

Since 2006, the North Carolina State Company and Immediate Theatre Project have produced the radio play version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” for audiences initially in Asheville, N.C. The production, which was adapted for the stage by W.V.R. Repoley, can now be seen at theatrical venues throughout the country.

Tickets for “It’s A Wonderful Life: Live From WVL Radio Theatre” performance are $23 and all seats are reserved. To purchase tickets, visit www.owens.edu or contact the College’s Box Office. For more information about this event, contact the Center for Fine and Performing Arts at (567) 661-2787 or 1-800-GO-OWENS, Ext. 2787.

Owens Community College is a fully accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher education that has served Northwest Ohio since 1965. With a commitment to providing small classes, personal attention and unmatched affordability, the College serves the diverse academic needs of credit and non-credit students on the Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses. Owens offers associate degrees that transfer to baccalaureate degrees in the Arts and Sciences and over 130 technical program areas in Agriculture, Business, Health Sciences, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Skilled Trades, and Engineering and Transportation Technologies. Owens students also can earn the first two years of a bachelor’s degree with a smooth transfer to any area four-year college or university. For more information, visit www.owens.edu.