Bucyrus Little Theatre sets December dates for radio-play 'It's a Wonderful Life'

Bucyrus Little Theatre has scheduled a December run of Joe Landry's adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life, presented as a 1940s radio broadcast rather than a conventional staging of Bedford Falls.

Three performances are planned at the theatre on Songer Avenue: 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12, and a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Per the theatre, the action unfolds in Studio A at a fictional station, WBFR, on Christmas Eve in 1946. A five-member radio company — Freddie Filmore, Jake Laurents, Sally Applewhite, Lana Sherwood and Harry Heywood, known as Jazzbo — handles every part, from George and Mary Bailey to Clarence, Potter, Uncle Billy and the townsfolk.

Sound effects are made practically on stage, including doors, ice, telephones, footsteps and breaking glass, along with parody commercials styled to the postwar era. Holiday music and studio-style signage complete the presentation.

Crawford County Now notes the coinciding anniversaries: the 1946 Capra film reaches its 80th year in 2026, the United States observes its 250th, and BLT, founded in 1951, marks 75 years of live theatre. The theatre describes the show as recommended for general audiences.

Auditions were to take place in November, with details to be posted on the theatre's website and social media accounts.