Theatre Company of Sun City debuts radio plays

At 11 a.m. on April 3, The Theatre Company of Sun City aired its first radio play on 101.5 FM, Huntley Community Radio. Its new half-hour program is called Vintage Voices. Myron Shellist, the charter club’s president since 2009, knew that members would respond well to the radio opportunity.

“We have a number of people who don’t sing or dance, or they don’t particularly like to memorize lines. Yet, they love to be in shows. Radio is the perfect venue for involving more members in what we do,” he said.

(Photo provided)

However, when asked to find good radio scripts several years ago, 11-year member Bonnie Saban, who holds a theatre degree from Northwestern, was frustrated in her search.

“We finally gave up, thinking they just weren’t available,” she said.

Bob Gienko, board liaison for the radio program, raised and researched the complicated issue of rights to perform plays such as War of the Worlds or It’s a Wonderful Life, which usually involves permissions and royalty fees as if they were stage presentations.

“We didn’t want to take a chance on anything that would involve us in a lawsuit,” he said.

Janette Dennis, who moved with her husband, Ed, to Sun City in July 2015, was tapped to revisit radio plays after performing in the fall musical, Oklahoma!

“I had directed short plays before, but had no radio experience,” said Dennis. “I like a challenge, and I knew we’d have actors. We just needed material. Hearing Bob Gienko’s concerns, I consulted with a patent attorney and Larry Groebe of the Dallas, TX theater company, the Generic Radio Workshop. The group has been performing older radio plays, mostly onstage, since 1981. It even manages a website that makes over 170 scripts available to other not-for-profit Theatre companies like ours.”

Groebe said, “I’ve only been contacted once about removing scripts from our website and never about performing, nor have I heard of others getting into trouble. I tell actors “perform!” Ask forgiveness later if needed- which it won’t be.” 
Over time, Vintage Voices plans to bring comedies, dramas, westerns, crime stories and mysteries to the airwaves to entertain local audiences with stories that were told before live streaming, cassette tapes, or even television were available.

“Thanks to Allen Pollack, executive director, and the radio station’s interns, we are able to focus on creating characters as they assemble the sound effects that bring our shows to life without pictures,” said Dennis.

Judy Stage (her real name) is one of 25 actors who will perform on Vintage Voices. After recording her broadcast as the lead in the first play, she said, “I’m having a ball being part of Vintage Voices, and loving it way more than I ever imagined. Thanks for creating a fun new adventure in my life!”

Vintage Voices’ first comedy series, Easy Aces, originally aired on stations across the country from 1930-45. Jim Rice, Theatre Company treasurer and primary set designer, doesn’t use either of those skills on the radio in his role as Mr. Ace in the Easy Aces series. “Instead, I work as an advertising executive who manages his exasperation toward a wife whose relatives and a variety of other people complicate our marriage or try to erode the family fortune. It’s comedy that’s not far from real life, especially 80 years ago when wives were at home.”

Currently, the same show repeats on Sundays at 11 a.m. for one month, then a new episode is broadcast. Each completed show is available as a podcast at www.HuntleyRadio.com/Programs/VintageVoices. The Radio Players group is open to all Sun City residents who are members of the Theatre Company. Contact Myron Shellist about membership or for further information at 847/515-8545.

---

---