Olde Glory and Concordia Team Up For Christmas Play
by Karl Jones
On Dec. 1-4, the Olde Glory Theater hosted showings of Christmas Thieves: a Small Town Radio Play by Greg Oliver Bodine. This play was directed by professor Bryan Moore with Libby Klein, a senior majoring in psychology and behavioral science, serving as the assistant director.
The play was about a small town radio station that was trying to raise funding for a new antenna and hired a British acting group to perform on Christmas Eve. In a sudden turn of events the British actors fell ill after eating at a local restaurant, and the station’s regular workers had to fill in, after quickly learning how to speak with a British accent. This play features a full length radio play that is performed on stage.
The play had plenty of humor as viewers witnessed a group of Americans quickly learn how to perform with British accents. The use of props allowed for both an enjoyable viewing experience, as well as a way to experience the radio play portion as it would have been heard on the radio.
With only a month to prepare, Moore and Klein had to coordinate stage movements and prop placements in order to allow viewers to be able to experience the show both as a play and a radio broadcast. With all of the props arranged, the goal was for the stage to look like a proper recording set that a radio station would use to put on a live radio play.
“It was challenging trying to squeeze in rehearsals during break, just to get some more practice in during the short prep time,” Klein said.
The actors were also tasked with bringing their roles to life. The pantomimed actions during the radio play portion helped remind viewers who the original characters were even though they were telling a different story.
“I really like theater, and Christmas. I also enjoy doing bigger tech stuff. The cast is people from the community, and it is nice to have that different group of people and to work with new people,” Klein said when asked why she got involved with the play.
This play is one of several projects that Concordia is planning on coordinating with Olde Glory Theater. Concordia’s theater department will perform Murder’s in the Heir” at the Olde Glory Theater in March of 2017.
The Olde Glory Theater is located at 348 Jackson Avenue. For upcoming shows and times, visit their website.
