Christmas radio play finds new audience with Christmas Eve broadcast

WASHINGTON — Heavy snowfall that swept across Washington the Saturday after Thanksgiving forced the cancellation of multiple holiday events, including the community’s annual live radio Christmas play, prompting organizers to shift the beloved tradition to a recorded broadcast.

Washington Community Theater’s traditional radio play, originally scheduled for Nov. 29, typically anchors a full day of holiday activities and draws residents to the Washington Public Library for a nostalgic performance staged around vintage microphones. Actors dress in period clothing while spectators bundle up with chairs and blankets to watch and listen outdoors in the late-November cold.

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This year, that scene did not materialize.

Significant snowfall made travel and outdoor gatherings unsafe, canceling most of the day’s Christmas events and halting plans for the live performance. Rather than abandon the program altogether, Director Shirley Gilmore regrouped and opted to record the play so it could still reach listeners during the holidays.

KCII will air the recorded production at 8 p.m. Christmas Eve.

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While the shift ended the live, in-person experience that many in the community anticipate each year, the recorded broadcast preserves the heart of the tradition: classic radio storytelling performed by local actors and shared with the wider listening audience.

This year’s program features two well-known holiday-themed episodes from midcentury radio: The Life of Riley episode “No Christmas Bonus” and Our Miss Brooks episode “The Magic Christmas Tree.”

“No Christmas Bonus” centers on Chester A. Riley, a factory worker whose good intentions often outpace his planning. As Christmas approaches, Riley worries about his inability to afford gifts for his family. He frets over unpaid bills, searches for extra income and considers how to secure a bonus from his boss, Mr. Stevenson. The story follows Riley’s familiar pattern of financial stress, misguided schemes and sincere determination, culminating in a resolution that emphasizes family, generosity and resilience over money.

“The Magic Christmas Tree” from Our Miss Brooks offers a quieter but equally sentimental story. Connie Brooks faces the prospect of spending Christmas Eve alone, accompanied only by her landlady’s cat. Feeling isolated, she buys a Christmas tree from a young boy and drifts off to sleep. In a dream, friends including Walter Denton, Harriet Conklin and Mr. Conklin arrive for an unexpected celebration. When Connie awakens, the dream gives way to reality as her friends truly appear, transforming her lonely evening into a joyful gathering.

Together, the two episodes reflect the themes that have defined the Washington radio play for years: community, perseverance and the enduring appeal of shared stories during the holidays.

Although weather reshaped the format, the annual Christmas radio play remains a fixture of the season, finding a way to reach its audience even when snow blankets the town.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com