It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play | Playbill

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It’s A Wonderful Life: It’s a Wonderful Life A Live Radio Play A Live Radio Play (full – length version) Adapted by Joe Landry Artistic Director Zachary Ziegler

Scenic Designer Amanda Marsala

Lighting Designer Marisa Abbott

Sound Designer Brandon Gregory

Student Stage Manager Katherine Mikna

Costume Designer Laura Lois

Poster Design Nora Larscheid

Marketing Material Designers Molly Shea Alex Mora

Headshot Photographer Christal Wagner

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)

SETTING Christmas Eve, 1946. The stage and auditorium of Studio A at WBFR in Manhattan, New York.

CAST Jackie Laurents………………………………………………………………………………………………..Rachel Visser ‘22 Burge ‘21 .. ShelbyBurges Miss Sally Applewhite…………………………………………………………………………………….Shelby Miss Lana Sherwood…………………………………………………………………………………………..Erin Fricker ‘22 Harriet “Jazzbo” Heywood……………………………………………………………………………….Riley Halpern ‘21 Hope Merriweather……………………………………………………………………………….Eleanora Markwald ‘24 Hazel Jenkins…………………………………………………………………………………………………..Olivia Connell ‘22 ‘21 Judy Lester……………………………………………………………………………………………………..Riley Connelly ‘21 Freddie Fillmore……………………………………………………………………………………………….Vivian Goller ‘22 ‘23

BUILD AND RUN CREW Annabelle Bannach ‘22 Kate Becker ‘23 Joanna Blonski ‘22 Tennessean LaForest ‘24 Katherine Mikna ‘21 Emma Kate Porter ‘24 Wrenly Porter ‘22 Lucy Richburg ‘23 Lauren Simanek ‘21 Paige Zuber ‘21

CAST BIOGRAPHIES In Alphabetical Order Shelby Burges

Mary Hatch

Olivia Connell

Mr. Henry Potter/Others /Others

Riley Connelly

Sadie/Mr. & Mrs. Bailey/Others

Erin Fricker

Violet Bick/Sound FX/Others

Vivian Goller

Announcer/Others

Riley Halpern

Clarice Oddbody/Others

Shelby is delighted to be part of another wonderful show at DSHA. She last played Betsy Fonzarelli in Get Smart and is glad she can return to the stage amidst these challenging times.

She sends a big thank you to the cast, crew, and directors for pulling the show together and much gratitude to administration for making the show happen. She thanks her parents and friends for their constant support and encouragement. Enjoy the show and Happy Holidays!

Olivia is excited to perform in her 3rd DSHA theater production. She previously played Professor Dante in DSHA’s Get Smart. She is absolutely thrilled to play Mr. Potter and others this year. Olivia would like to thank the rest of the cast, the crew, Mr. Ziegler and Mrs. Marsala for all their hard work and dedication. She hoped you enjoy the show!

Riley is thrilled to perform in her 4th DSHA theater production, and her first play ever! Her favorite roles include Erzulie in Once on This Island and a Silly Girl in Beauty and the Beast.

She is incredibly grateful for Mr. Ziegler, Mrs. Marsala, and the administration for giving us the opportunity to perform in such a crazy time. Thank you to the amazing crew that made this show possible! Merry Christmas everyone!

Erin is pumped to participate in her 6th DSHA production, It’s a Wonderful Life! Some of her favorite past performances include DSHA’s Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Les Mis, and First Stage’s Matilda. Erin is so grateful for the amazing cast and crew who helped make this experience tons of fun, as well as her wonderful family who always supports and encourages her. Enjoy the show and have a very merry Christmas!!

Vivian is thrilled to be part of such an amazing show and is excited to be starring in her 4th production at DSHA! Her most recent role was Agent 13 in DSHA’s Get Smart. She’d like to thank the dedicated crew and cast and her parental units for driving her around. Thank you and enjoy the show!

Riley, a senior, is delighted to perform in her sixth DSHA production! She’s performed professionally with First Stage, Skylight, and the Rep, and attended Interlochen Arts Camp.

Her favorite roles include Eponine in Les Mis, Hope in Urinetown, and Meg in Brigadoon.

Riley is also President of the DSHA Angelaires this year. She thanks everyone who made this show possible. Merry Christmas and enjoy the show!

Eleanora Markwald

Joseph/Sound FX/Others

Rachel Visser

George Bailey

Eleanora is honored to be part of the cast of It’s A Wonderful Life. This is her first show at DSHA, and she hopes to be able to be a part of so many more. Her favorite role of all times is Mrs. Wormwood from University School’s Matilda when she was in eighth grade. She would like to thank the crew and cast for helping to put the show together and her parents for all the encouragement and support. Happy Holidays and enjoy the show!

Rachel is incredibly grateful to be able to continue performing during this crazy time! This is her 7th production with DSHA. Some of her favorite past credits include Glory in Almost, Maine, Beth in Little Women, and Romeo in Newsies. A big thank you to everyone continuing to support the arts during the pandemic and to her parents for always pushing her to be her best. Enjoy the show!

CREW BIOGRAPHIES In Alphabetical Order Kate Becker

Kate is very excited to be on crew as a sophomore for her third show at DSHA! She hopes everyone enjoys this unique production of It's a Wonderful Life, and she is thrilled to be a part of this experience with her crew friends. Enjoy the show!

Joanna Blonski

Joanna is so excited to be working on It’s a Wonderful Life. She’s done seven shows at DSHA, including her favorites, Newsies and Almost Maine. She hopes that everyone enjoys the show!

Tennessean LaForest

Tess is super excited to be working on her first DSHA production. Even if this year wasn't how she thought it would be, she is still grateful that she was able to take part in such an incredible thing. Have a wonderful time and enjoy the show!

Katherine Mikna

Katherine is excited to be working on her eleventh show in her last year on stage crew.

Some of her favorite shows she’s helped with include Les Misérables, Newsies, and Beauty and the Beast. She hopes you enjoy the show and it helps get you in the Christmas spirit!

Emma Kate Porter

Emma Kate is excited to be working on her first production at DSHA. She is thankful that she has gotten the experience to work with so many great people. Have a great show everyone and Merry Christmas!

Wrenly Porter

Wrenly is excited to be on Crew for their 4th show as a junior at DSHA. They are grateful to be able to work with everyone to spread some Christmas cheer in these hard times!

Enjoy the show!

Lucy Richburg

Lucy is so happy to be doing crew for her third show at DSHA! Lucy is a sophomore at DSHA. She was a part of Beauty and the Beast last fall, and Get Smart in the winter. She is excited to see all of the crew’s hard work come together!

Lauren Simanek

Lauren is so excited to be a senior on stage crew for her 10th show at DSHA! She is thrilled to be involved in a production despite the craziness that this year has brought.

She hopes that you enjoy the show and that you have a very merry Christmas!

Paige Zuber

Paige is thrilled to be working on her 10th DSHA production as a senior on stage crew.

Even though this year looks a little different, she is grateful for the opportunity to be working with such an amazing group to bring this production to life. Enjoy the show!

Lauren Simanek – Congrats on your 10th show!

So proud of you! ̶ Mom, Dad, Nathan and Jake

PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES Zachary Ziegler (Director) is enjoying his first year at DSHA! He is celebrating 11 years of teaching performing arts and comes with experience teaching band, choir, and theatre in public and private settings across Wisconsin, Alaska, and Colorado. Recent directing credits include CTW’s Disney’s Newsies. Zachary is thrilled to be at DSHA. Amanda Marsala (Scenic Designer and Technical Director) has been at DSHA since 2006. Prior to working at DSHA, Amanda worked at The Skylight as a Scenic Carpenter and Deck Chief; at First Stage Children’s Theatre as a Scenic Carpenter; and at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum as an Exhibit Technician. Here at DSHA, Amanda has the honor of creating over forty theatre productions with the students, parents, volunteers, and production teams. The energy and enthusiasm the students put into each production never ceases; your dedication keeps this department running! A few of Amanda’s favorite productions here at DSHA are Clue, Legally Blonde, Peter Pan, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, and Newsies.

Marisa Abbott (Lighting Designer) works as a freelance Lighting Designer, Electrician, and Scenic Artist around the Milwaukee Area. Previous designs at DSHA include Get Smart, Beauty and the Beast, Almost Maine, The Little Mermaid, and Willy Wonka. Other recent lighting designs include Chasin’ Dem Blues, The All Night Strut! and Lost Girl (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), The Revolutionists (Next Act Theatre), Fires in the Mirror and Ben Butler (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), Gretel, Elf the Musical, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (First Stage), Momentum (Milwaukee Ballet II), A Christmas Story the Musical and My Fair Lady (Fireside Dinner Theater), and Skeleton Crew (Forward Theater Company). She has also painted scenery for the Milwaukee Rep, Renaissance Theaterworks, and Kohl’s Wild Theatre. ma-stagedesign.com Brandon Gregory (Sound Designer) is as freelance Live Sound Engineer and operates BREG Audio LLC. In addition to running his company, Brandon works with many different production companies around central and south-eastern Wisconsin. During his career, he has worked with hundreds of different events including music festivals, corporates, and theatre groups.

DIRECTORS NOTE It must have happened some time during high school. Odds are, we came back from Christmas Eve at my aunt’s and I was too excited to sleep. My guess is It’s a Wonderful Life was on one of those all-movies-all-the-time channels and I stopped to watch it. The classic black-and-white version, of course. I was enthralled.

It’s been my personal tradition to watch It’s a Wonderful Life each Christmas Eve since. It’s such a long build up for a short burst of Clarence the Second-Class Angel causing poor George Bailey to lose his mind until he discovers new truths about himself, but the pay-off is still worth it. And even though I’ve been watching it for half my life, I cry almost every time. I’m overcome by all the different loves shown at the end: Romantic Love between George and Mary, Familiar Love between George and Harry and his Mother, Selfless Love between George and his kids, and Self Love as George re-learns to value his own life.

I’m so excited to bring alive a story that means so much to me as my directorial debut at DSHA. From our first read-through as some students began to tear up, I knew this production had a chance to be something special. I think we’ve accomplished that. Our girls have been able to overcome masks and distance to connect with each other in a way that I hope truly connects with you. I hope you feel a warmth in your heart during this show and recognize it as a type of love in yourself. We are truly grateful to be putting this production on and extremely thankful you have tuned in. Thank you! Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.

SPECIAL THANKS Parents Fine Arts Association Sue and Bill Ognasavic Mike Sieger Jim Guy and The Milwaukee Repertory Theater DSHA Maintenance and Custodial Staff DSHA Administration Team DSHA Marketing Team Thank you to the families of the students involved in this show. Your help and support of the students and the theatre program is greatly appreciated!

Elenora We are so proud of you!

Enjoy your 1st play at DSHA! Love, Mom and Dad

The DSHA Parent Fine Arts Association congratulates the cast and crew of

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”!

The Parent Fine Arts Association is a parent volunteer organization that supports fine arts activities at DSHA through volunteerism and fundraising. We thank the following families for supporting the PFAA through their membership.

James and Nora Barry

Michael and Mimi Goller

Keith and Tanya Baynes

Grady and Nicole Gosser

Jerome and Karen Becker

Dan and Megan Hambrook

Steven and Valerie Becker

Jason and Maureen Jens

Michael and Christine Blonski

James and Maureen Kanter

Brandon and Sara Bruckman Elizabeth Brunner Mark and Laurie Clemence Craig and Deanna Conaty Timothy and Jane Connell Brian and Martha Connelly Jacob Corr and Melissa Karls Timothy and Mary Dondlinger Stephen and Tracy Dudkiewicz

Thomas and Jane Lacy Ingrid Laforest Albert and Kelly Lagore Yvonne Marie Lewandowski

Joseph and Catherine Pickart Mario and Margaret Powell Ross and AnnaMarie Preschat Dan and Amanda Quesnell Chris and Sarah Quesnell Michael and Jane Reardon Andrew and Andrea Schlidt

Justin and Amanda Lewna

Thomas and Jennifer Simanek

David Winkler and Therese Pickart

Jonathan and Kristin Sohn

Andy Ritter and Emily Li Brad and Laura Lois David and Carrie Lucke Andrew and Marie Mansfield Timothy and Sarah Martin

Matthew and Debora Fineour

Michael Murphy and Theresa Tuttle

Matthew and Tracey Fricker

Timothy and Tracy Murray

Michael and Stacy Gauthier

Timothy and Julie Nolan

Samuel Halpern and Emma Gillette

Mark and Janet Otten

Dave and Kimber Spano Stuart and Kim Tallmadge Chris and Kathleen Thorsen Deirdre Tobin Scott and Colleen Valkoun Joseph and Julie Vanderhoef Brian and Claudia Visser Shawn and Erin Wurtzbacher Kenneth and Stacie Zuber

Kevin and Jill Pasqua

To learn more or to join the PFAA go to dsha.info/PFAA. Follow us on Facebook @DSHAPFAA and Instagram at @dshapfaa.

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