Nostalgia Reigns This Season
Ventura County theaters have always spread joy through their myriad holiday stage offerings. This year, our thespians continue to entertain, although the offerings are online and viewed from the comfort of our own cozy chairs.
Here are three virtual productions to add to your viewing calendar this month.
Ojai Art Center Theater brings holiday cheer with a virtual production of It’s A Wonderful Life A Live Radio Play. Broadway on Demand and director Gai Jones are proud to present Joe Landry’s adaptation in a digital performance for all to enjoy. Check out the details at www.ojaiact.org.
Streaming began at 7 p.m. last Saturday, December 12 and will continue through Saturday, December 19. Tickets are available at ojaiact.org/iawl for $12.95 which – get this – allows viewers to see the performance as many times as they like until midnight on the 19th. So instead of binging the movie on Netflix this year, you can enjoy this version with local talent more than once for a single price.
A classic Christmas story, It’s A wonderful Life examines human foibles, renews our faith in miracles, and reinforces that good people triumph over odds, even when faced with multiple difficulties. It seems like the perfect story for the 2020 holiday season.
The American Film Institute listed the 1947 Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart as number one on its list of most inspirational American films of all time and as one of the 100 best American films ever made.
Follow along as dreamer George Bailey’s life unfolds. His guardian angel, Clarence, gets the chance to earn his wings by helping George regain what he was certain was lost. The town rejoices. George is saved. And, as everyone knows, a bell rings every time an angel gets his (or her) wings. Ring-a-ding!
Ojai’s large cast, which includes several married couples, two groups of siblings and a father and daughter, all perform from their own homes, augmented with visual effects, sound effects and costumes. It’s a family affair fit for all families. Well done, Ojai Art Center Theatre!
Conejo Players in Thousand Oaks presents a digital offering of Home for the Holidays, a Conejo Youth Theatre production featuring stories of holiday traditions, songs, dances and more. Viewing is available December 18-20. It is presented on a “pay what you can” donation request. After initial viewing, it is available to you for the next 30 days for no extra charge. www.conejoplayers.org/home-holidays-conejo-players-youth-theatreproduction.
Every Now and Then Theatre presents “A 1947 Christmas Carol”, a one-hour, award-winning, commercial free broadcast streams nationwide with celebrity guest host Miss California International 2012 Dedria Brunett and a large cast of talented actors. Go to www.kvta.com then click on Listen Live. The program will air Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve, at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Friday, December 25, Christmas Day, at 8 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
