Carrollwood Cultural Center‘s new interpretation of “It’s a Wonderful Life”

CARROLLWOOD, Fla. – Actors at the Carrollwood Cultural Center are preparing to perform “It’s a Wonderful Life” in a unique way.

“I hope everyone gets another way to love the story,” Carrollwood Cultural Center Director Jaime Giangrande-Holcom said.

The center will perform the classic 1946 film as a live radio play. Nine actors will bring the characters to life, while three will also do foley or create sound effects with everyday objects.

“As actors, we’re on stage, we’re still going through all the motions, but instead of a cast of 20–30 people doing all the voices, there’s a handful of us that do all of the voices for the entire show,” Carrollwood Cultural Center Executive Director Paul Berg said.

Unlike a theater show, the play will not feature set changes, and the actors will be reading from scripts.

Berg says the most significant challenge actors face is differentiating the characters’ voices.

“Making them sound different enough that if you were to close your eyes, you wouldn’t know it’s the same person,” Berg explained.

The challenge for Giangrande-Holcom is weaving together the show’s elements.

Giangrande-Holcom had to determine when the actors’ lines should overlap and transition and direct the timing of the foley effects.

“It is like baking a cake. There’s just all these steps and all these layers,” Giangrande-Holcom said. “You get to see behind the stage of what a radio play would look like.”

For many of the cast, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of their favorite films.

They hope to provide the audience with a unique experience and want them to participate like a live studio audience would a long time ago.

“It’s pretty cool to just be able to sit back and disconnect from everything,” Berg said. “It’s creativity. It’s using your imagination.”

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” will have three total showings the weekend of Dec. 14.