ABOUT THE SHOW
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Buck Creek Players and Director Cathy Cutshall are excited to announce their upcoming production of the IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A Live Radio Play, adapted by Joe Landry, with original music and musical arrangements by Kevin Connors.
Back by popular demand, the timeless classic, live on stage! This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. Buck Creek Players is pleased to continue our 48th season with this live holiday event on our mainstage. Join us for the eight live in-person performances at the playhouse starting Friday, December 10th and running through Sunday, December 19th. |
Presented by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)
Original Music and Musical Arrangements by Kevin Connors.
Original Music and Musical Arrangements by Kevin Connors.
General Audiences - Appropriate for people of all ages.
Performance Dates & Times
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Friday, December 10, 2021 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 2:30 PM Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 8:00 PM Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 2:30 PM |
Friday, December 17, 2021 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 2:30 PM Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 8:00 PM Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 2:30 PM |
For everyone's safety, patrons are required to wear masks while inside the playhouse and throughout the performance.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
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SETTING
WBFR Radio Broadcast Studio
New York City in the 1940s
New York City in the 1940s
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
JEFF WILSON
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JEFF WILSON (Freddie Filmore) is happy to be reprising his favorite BCP role, after having last been seen at BCP as Henry Higgins in PYGMALION. Other favorite productions from a list of 200+ as both a director and actor throughout Indiana include 1776, THE 39 STEPS, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, THE CRUCIBLE, and I HATE HAMLET. A thirty-year veteran calculus/pre-calculus teacher and drama director at Triton Central, Jeff lends his announcer's voice to a plethora of TC sports and fine arts events while cheering on his beloved Tiger students. Happily married to Tiffany for two full decades, the couple has enjoyed visiting nearly 400 National Park sites in all 50 states, as well as traveling to over 20 countries and hosting international students in their home. Jeff also enjoys hiking, biking, covered bridging, photography, watching classic films, reading US history and Agatha Christie, and leading Bible studies for teenagers at his church and school. It truly has been "a wonderful life".
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CHRISTIAN CONDRA
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CHRISTIAN CONDRA (Jake Laurents) is astatic to be back at Buck Creek Players with this amazing group of actors and staff after making his directorial debut at BCP this past summer with FIRST DATE the Musical. Christian studied acting at Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis. Before making the big move to STL, Christian was previously seen working with LAFF Shows at the District Theatre in productions like PUFFS, FLY, YOU FOOLS, and their hilarious hit show, THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES, and most recently in ATI’s production of LOMBARDI. He has worked both on and off stage, technical directing and designing LEGALLY BLONDE the musical, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT at Footlite Musicals, and MAKING GOD LAUGH at Buck Creek Players. Christian would like to thank his cast, Cathy and Aaron for their continued support, and family for their support and always being the best dog sitters.
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TONY BRAZELTON
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TONY BRAZELTON (Harry "Jazzbo" Heywood) eats peanut butter and pork rind sandwiches. You should really try it before you judge him. Tony's distinguished acting career spans nearly six weeks, including Buck Creek Players' production of ROSIE THE RIVETER. By day, Tony designs and teaches training workshops on leadership and management skills. When not at work or on stage, he takes naps to get the voices out of his head. Tony would like to thank his wife Tara for encouraging him to leave the house.
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NORA BURKHART
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NORA BURKHART (Sally Applewhite) is thrilled to be back on the stage after making her BCP debut as Mrs. Van Tassel in THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW this past fall. She has been in the ensembles of BRIGADOON and RAGTIME at Footlite Musicals, but her all-time favorite role is Mommy to Rebecca, Cecilia and Eliza. By day, she works as an oncology specialty pharmacist. Thanks to Cathy and the wonderful cast, crew, and staff for the amazing experience and Aaron for his never-ending love and support.
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TIFFANY D. WILSON
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TIFFANY D. WILSON (Lana Sherwood) is honored to be appearing in her sixth production with Buck Creek Players. She was first seen in 2012 in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE playing Kitty. She has also appeared as Actor 5 in VINTAGE HITCHCOCK: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, she portrayed Sally Applewhite in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY in 2017, and she played Mrs. Eynsford-Hill in the outdoor staged reading of PYGMALION in 2020. Tiffany has also been involved with Shelby County Players since 1999. Her favorite roles include Audrey in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, Lizzie in THE RAINMAKER, Elizabeth Proctor in THE CRUCIBLE, Agnes in I DO! I DO!, and Nurse Ratched in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST. In 2019, she won an Encore Award for Best Costumes for a Comedy for Shelby County Players’ BLITHE SPIRIT. Tiffany holds a Bachelors Degree in English and Theatre from Franklin College and a Masters of Library Science from Indiana University. She serves as the Branch Manager at the Franklin Branch of the Johnson County Public Library.
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CHRISTOPHER BROWN
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CHRISTOPHER BROWN (Art Foley) lives in Indianapolis, IN. He presently works for the U.S. Army, and is looking forward to reprising the role he played back in December of 2017 here at the Buck Creek Playhouse. He is also looking forward to performing alongside some of the cast that are also reprising their roles from the 2017 production. It's A Wonderful Life is one of Chris's favorite Christmas stories. The story shows that all of us have impacted the lives of those around us whether we want to believe it or not. Chris would like to thank his daughter and son for believing in him, and supporting him.
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NICOLE DROEGER
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NICOLE DROEGER (Hazel Jenkins) is returning to Buck Creek after performing her last show four years ago. Incidentally, her most previous show at Buck Creek was the 2017 production of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, where she was the stage manager. Other shows she was involved in are BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR. as the narrator, THE LITTLE TOWN OF CHRISTMAS as the kid with Santa (a principle role), and SCROOGE THE MUSICAL as an ensemble member. Nicole currently attends Lutheran High School and is involved in their theatre program. She plans to go to college at the University of Tampa in Florida. Outside of theatre, she enjoys singing, writing, and riding adrenaline-filled roller coasters.Nicole would like to thank her mother for introducing her to the world of theatre. She would also like to thank all her friends and family who support her, everyone involved in the show, and God for blessing her with many talents.
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COPYRIGHT LAWS PROHIBIT ALL UNAUTHORIZED PHOTOGRAPHY,
AUDIO, OR VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION.
PRODUCTION STAFF
FRANCIE MITCHANER
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FRANCIE MITCHANER (Producer) is thrilled to be helping Cathy bring this holiday classic back to the stage. Francie's recent roles at Buck Creek Players include Deputy Dot in CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS and Magenta/Usherette in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW: THE BCP PLAY-A-PART FUNDRAISER. Spending time in the theater, on and off the stage, brings nothing but joy to Francie. A special thank-you to my family and friends that continue to support and encourage her to stay involved with community theater. Lastly, she hopes every cast and crew member, as well as audiences, take time to relax and enjoy the experience of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE! |
CATHY CUTSHALL
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CATHY CUTSHALL (Director) After costuming BCP’s recent production of ROSIE THE RIVETER, she is excited to step back to the Director’s chair for our 2021 holiday show! Cathy has had the pleasure of directing MIRACLE ON 34th STREET: A LIVE MUSICAL RADIO PLAY, TRAP!, MAKING GOD LAUGH, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, A LIVE RADIO PLAY (2017), and BANANAS at Buck Creek Players, as well as ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST at Shelby County Players. Cathy is also an Encore winner for best costumes for DIRTY BLONDE, BONNIE & CLYDE THE MUSICAL, and FOUR OLD BROADS. Whether working as a director or costumer, on stage or behind-the-scenes, she has had the pleasure of working in theaters throughout Indiana and New Mexico at Albuquerque Civic Light Opera Association, and Albuquerque Little Theater. Favorite productions include SWEENEY TODD, PARADE, HONK!, CHICAGO, CITY OF ANGELS, ON THE TOWN, HELLO DOLLY, ANYTHING GOES, SINGING IN THE RAIN, SHENANDOAH, THE WIZARD OF OZ, SOUTH PACIFIC, AND GYPSY. In her free time Cathy enjoys reading, sewing, antique shopping, and spending time with family. Up next, Cathy will be directing our June production of LITTLE WOMEN, the Broadway Musical. “I’d like to thank my family for their constant love and support, and for letting me have time to play. This is truly one of my favorite movies and “must watch” every year. It’s been an honor to work with this amazing cast and staff! I hope you enjoy our production as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year! |
MELISSA DEVITO
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MELISSA DEVITO (Costumes & Properties) is thrilled to bring this holiday classic back to BCP audiences. She has been involved at BCP for many years as director, actor, properties, costumer, producer, stage manager...the list goes on and on. Winner of 2 Encore awards and several nominations, she would be hard pressed to name a favorite production she was involved with. When not at the theater, Mel is a respiratory therapist for Home Respiratory Services. She also loves spending time at race tracks drag racing with her husband Rick, camping, and being with her family. Along with her granddaughter Ellie, she welcomed another granddaughter Blake this past summer. Thank you to her husband Rick for putting up with all the time she spends at the theater. |
AARON B. BAILEY
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AARON B. BAILEY (Set Design & Technical Director) has been active with theater since 1999. He can most often be found behind the scenes roles including technical directing, technical crew, lighting design & crew, facilities management, and assisting in the box office. Buck Creek Player’s audiences have enjoyed Aaron’s handiwork for the past 22 years, with BANANAS marking his 52nd show for BCP. Aaron has been awarded multiple Encore Awards for set design, technical direction, set decoration, and lighting design. Throughout his involvement with the playhouse, Aaron has served on the Board of Directors, where he is currently the Treasurer. |
SUE KUEHNHOLD
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SUE KUEHNHOLD (Lighting Design) So… all the world’s a stage… unless of course, you can’t see it! Sue enjoys participating in the community of theatre, both on-stage and behind the scenes, and knows that there is a LOT of power in making a production shine from the control booth-LOL. She holds a masters degree in Drama/Theatre from the Ohio State University and a masters in education from the University of Colorado at Denver, and most currently uses her skills in non-profit arts administration. Her production credits include teaching, directing, acting and/or administrating scholastically and organizationally across the nation, and has been privileged to learn and work with some awesome mentors at Busch Gardens, Walt Disney World and the USO. With a love for costuming and acting, Sue became enamored with lights because it is what really makes things “shine” and because there truly is art in making scenes come to life. She has had the opportunity with working in Chicago on large-scale productions prior to moving to Indy, where she has been privileged to work with the BCP lighting team to write for CLIFF HANGER, EVERY CHRISTMAS STORY EVER TOLD, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and THE MATCHMAKER. Most recently, she has spent some time learning a few new tricks at Footlight Musicals through designing BRIGADOON and RAGTIME. Sue is grateful for the opportunity and happy to call BCP her home theatre and is excited for everyone that is touched by the arts in any way. Thank you for taking this journey with us! |
PRODUCTION CREW
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Light Board Operator
ANNA GUMENUK Sound Board Operator BRIAN NOFFKE Holiday Decorator DAN DENNISTON Set Painter ROCCO FLORES |
Media & Communications Committee Chairperson
GLORIA BRAY Website Management ROCCO FLORES & AARON BAILEY Production Photographer & Videographer GARY W. NELSON | www.photoGary.net Box Office Management AARON BAILEY |
SPECIAL THANKS
Aaron B. Bailey
Tracy Brunner
Nickie Cornett
Rocco Flores
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Joe Landry's plays have been produced across the country and internationally, and include It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Reefer Madness, Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play, Eve & Co., Beautiful, Hollywood Babylon, and Numb. Mr. Landry attended Playwright's Horizons/NYU, founded Second Guess Theatre Company in Connecticut and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He is currently developing new projects for the stage and screen.
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Buck Creek Players is a proud member and supporter of:
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Buck Creek Players productions are made possible thanks to the support of:
