Carollwood Cultural Center‘s ’It‘s A Wonderful Life’ features four kid actors

Director Jaime Giangrande-Holcom will have young people helping with sound effects, too.

Before shifting to a one-person retelling, American Stage satisfied its audience’s appetite for the George Bailey story with annual productions of this popular adaptation by Joe Landry. As the title indicates, it’s presented as a live radio play, in which actors play members of a 1940s radio theater troupe who take on all the roles.

At Carrollwood Cultural Center, director Jaime Giangrande-Holcom is going full-on ’40s, adding that, “We’re going to set it up like an old-school live radio show, doing fake advertisements, all the jingles. The studio audience will be part of the recording.”

She’s departing from the Landry treatment in one regard. A teacher at CCC and director of Plant High School’s theater company, she’s going to have the kids in the show played by… kids! “I don’t want to hear Young George [being played by] a man,” she added.