JPAC's Christmas Gift

(From the Janesville Messenger, 11-18-07)

Laurel Canan, who writes a monthly column about the arts in this newspaper, is the executive director of the Janesville Performing Arts Center.

I have known Laurel for several years. When we get together and start brainstorming ideas, scary things happen.

For instance, before JPAC opened in 2004, Laurel and I were talking about what would be an appropriate opening night performance at the center. The next thing I knew, I was writing a play called “Janesville In Stages,” and we were busy trying to coordinate well over a hundred local actors, singers and musicians into a cohesive performance. When Laurel recently saw that event being rebroadcast on JATV-12, she called me to say she still couldn’t figure out how we pulled that off.

So last year, a similar brainstorming scene occurred in her office, and the result is that we are putting together another unique showcase for local talent on the JPAC stage.

On Tuesday evening, December 4, live radio broadcasting returns to the auditorium for the first time in decades. JPAC will be presenting “A Christmas Carol” on the stage for a live audience, while it is being broadcast over the airwaves on WCLO. In just about every way possible, we are trying to give this a 1940’s, old-time radio feel. Even the commercials will be read live from the stage. More than one person has compared this to “A Prairie Home Companion,” the wonderful weekly radio program broadcast live on public radio from Minneapolis.

The show will be JPAC’s Christmas gift to the community. The $5 admission we are charging goes entirely to the Good Samaritan Fund, which benefits the Salvation Army and ECHO. In addition, WCLO’s sponsorship revenue will also be donated. Theirs will benefit SpotLight on Kids, the children’s theater company in Janesville.

The script we’re using as the basis for this production has a strong pedigree. Citizen Kane himself, Orson Welles, initially produced it for radio in 1939. The role of Scrooge in that production was played by the incomparable Lionel Barrymore.

Technically, I am the director of this production, but that’s essentially just a title since we have assembled some of the finest acting talent in the area. If you frequent Rock County theater productions, you’ll recognize the names. To name just a few: Michael Chase, Colleen Burns, George Kiskunas, Ken Regez, Dave and Kathy Bitter, Ron Brown, Dennis Vechinsky.

Once word spread that we were planning to do this play, so many people wanted in that I didn’t have enough roles to give out. I had planned on taking a speaking role myself, but I ended up giving up them all out to involve as many people as possible. (Actually, I did leave myself a single four-word line performing the indispensable role of “Partygoer #2.”)

Even during our initial read-through of the script, I knew we were on to something special. If you would like to attend, call the JPAC ticket office at 608-758-0297. Or simply relax and enjoy the performance on WCLO that evening. If you miss it, the plan is for the play to be rebroadcast on the morning of Christmas Eve, and made available as a podcast on the WCLO web site.

Wish us luck the next couple of weeks as we iron out the technical issues, work on our timing, and make final preparations. We hope that you will enjoy our Christmas gift.