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MARIETTA -- Pandemic or no pandemic, the show will go on at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players on Friday with a free online presentation of a classic "Father Knows Best" radio Christmas show.
WMOVP Radio Theatre, the series created earlier this year when theaters in Ohio were closed because of the response to COVID-19, will present the family-friendly episode at 8 p.m. Friday on Zoom.
To view the live performance, go to https://mariettacollege.zoom.us/j/93626779110, or call in to hear the audio at 301 715-8592 or 312 626-6799. The webinar ID is 936 2677 9110.
Mid-Ohio Valley Players, because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic, is grateful to be able to continue to bring family entertainment to residents.
The show is about the Anderson family being stranded on Christmas Eve and being taken in by a shopkeeper in the true spirit of Christmas.
It is the fourth episode of the "Father Knows Best" radio shows, originally airing more than 65 years ago, presented in the WMOVP Radio Theatre series.
"I'm so happy to be a part of the 'Father Knows Best' Christmas show. I think its message is as timely now as it was in 1953," Jena Lane Blair, who plays Maggie Terrill, the shopkeeper, said. "It's good to remember how important family is. I want to wish everyone a warm and wonderful Christmas."
The show opens with the youngest members of the Anderson family making plans to spend Christmas Eve doing various activities and little Kathy asking for a pink Christmas tree from the downtown lot. Jim Anderson, the father, pines for Christmases past and decides it's time to show his family what a real Christmas looks like.
The presentation is both an opportunity for residents to see live theater and an opportunity for local actors and technicians to present theater.
"It's a delight to reprise the role of Jim Anderson," Jeff Walker, who plays Jim, said. "More importantly, I've enjoyed these past months of doing social distance theater. The creative outlet it provides has been so important to all of us who miss working together on stage. I hope our enjoyment in doing the show translates to our viewers."
Sean Shoop, who plays Bud, the son, agrees.
"I've loved being able to bring Bud to life these last nine months of socially distanced theater and how this cast feels like a real family," Shoop said.
"No matter what's going on or how busy I get, I can't say 'no' to coming back 'home.'"
Conceived nine months ago, Director Suzanne Walker got the idea when her employer Marietta College invited its employees to use its Zoom accounts to help the community stay connected.
"What started out as an experiment to help fill the gap during a few weeks of stay at home orders, has become a labor of love. It was the can-do spirit that MOVP members exemplify that has brought us to where we are today," Walker said. "We have worked together to learn new acting techniques, we've found ways to use the technology to enhance our productions, and we had a great deal of fun together."
The opportunities presented by the Mid-Ohio Valley Players during the pandemic "have been wonderful," Beth Lane, sound designer and announcer No. 2, said.
"The socially distanced theater opportunities have given new people the chance to take part in shows," she said. "I have enjoyed every moment with all of these wonderful people, and look forward to further involvement."
Each production by the WMOVP Radio Theatre company has been aimed at something new for audiences, Suzanne Walker said.
"When we first started, we simply turned our cameras on and relied on voice and costumes to carry the scene. Then we discovered how to use backgrounds, worked on ways to suggest interaction between characters and played with adding other visual elements," Suzanne Walker said. "This week we are excited to add video clips to bring the scenes to life."
While the pandemic means this holiday will be unlike any other, and many families must forgo treasured traditions in order to stay safe, it does not mean, however, that the spirit of the season must disappear, Jeff Walker said.
"Just as we have discovered new ways to do theatre, may you find new ways to celebrate and creative ways to usher in this time of year," he said.
The show will be rebroadcast 8 p.m. Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, as a Facebook premiere video on the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Facebook page.
The cast is:
Announcer: Eiz Kinser
2nd announcer: Beth Lane
Jim, father: Jeff Walker
Margaret, mother: Kathy Biery
Bud, teenage son: Sean Shoop
Betty, teenage daughter: Vanessa Rake
Kathy, youngest daughter: Amber Smrek
Maggie Terrill: Jena Lane Blair
Tom Terrill: Dyrk Conrad