Theatre revives the radio star

I’ve been told I have a voice for radio (which a far better compliment than being told you have a face for radio), so I thought I’d give the RLT’s third annual fundraiser, Radio Rides Once More, a try. In my mind, it was a quick and easy way to get a performance fix – just three rehearsals and then we put on the show. Because it’s a re-creation of a vintage live radio broadcast, the cast didn’t have to memorize any lines – we could just read from the script on stage. Sounds simple, right?

I soon realized that radio performance has its own set of challenges. As actors, we rely heavily on facial expressions and physical characterization in the roles we play. In radio performance, all of those options are gone. While, technically, the audience could see us, they were encouraged to close their eyes and really listen to the plays to experience them the way people did decades ago. For authenticity’s sake, I resisted the urge to wave my hands around and instead concentrated on putting all that emotion and expression into my voice.

I learned a lot from listening to my castmates – it’s incredible how some actors can transport you into an entirely different world using only voices. Some of the exceptional voices that stood out for me were Joan Miller as the mischievous Baby Snooks; Colleen Kembel as a sultry Mae West in the Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show; Bill Gardiner as a gangster Marc Anthony and Carolyn McBean as Calpurnia “Julie, don’t go!” Caesar in Rinse the Blood off My Toga; Ken Spencer as zombie Uncle Oscar in The Goon Show; and the Honourable Ralph Goodale as George W. Bush in Hu’s on First? (the cowboy hat and the Texas flag were a nice touch, too.)

The short rehearsal period, a selling feature for me, was also a challenge. On the RLT main stage, we usually have two months to “find” our characters – this time, we had a week, and we were all playing multiple roles. Foley artists Nora Berg and Bob Nicholls had to find innovative ways to provide the numerous live sound effects needed, costume mistress Annetta Kuntz had to put together dozens of costumes for the actors’ multiple roles, and singers Malia Becker and Shanna-Marie Tice (a.k.a. “The Sugar Cookies”) had to learn melodies and harmonies for the many live commercials … all in just a few days. Fortunately, we had the incredibly talented director and dramaturge Jean Freeman as well as stage manager extraordinaire Bernie Tice to keep us on track.

In the end, the challenges were what made the evening special. The show had an air of spontaneity and excitement about it: it felt “live”, as though anything could happen. There was also something magical in participating in shows that were aired decades before I was born. These plays are a part of history and people feel connected to them; they leave us with nostalgic, warm feelings and remind us of simpler times.
It was an amazing experience, both as an actor and as an audience member. I’m sure radio will keep riding at the RLT – I hope to see you there next year.