Start a holiday tradition with Elgin Theatre Company's 'Old Tyme Radio Show' Nov. 15-24

Imagine that it is somewhere in the 1950s and you are at home in the evening listening to your radio positioned carefully on a table in the living room. You are there with the rest of your family because an exciting program is about to happen and you and your family love the Christmas programs that are presented on it each evening during the holiday season.

You can still have that excitement that you used to experience and you can take it even one step further.

The Elgin Theatre Company is allowing you to be an audience member in the actual studio audience of WECT, a radio station while they create a "live" presentation of three scripts that were taken from actual radio shows in the 1950s.

You will see the actors creating characters like Jack Benny, Fibber McGee, and Our Miss Brooks right before your very eyes.

You will see the actual sound effects people performing their activities with various pieces of equipment that actually create the sounds that you would normally hear during a radio program. Some of the different sounds and the ways that they are created are almost laughable at times. Again, you can react as you normally would if you were at home listening to your radio.

For the last two years, the Elgin Theatre Company has presented this type of show during the two weekends prior to the Thanksgiving weekend in November.

This year, they will have three totally new scripts that we procured for audiences to enjoy and participate in.

In "Our Miss Brooks - The Magic Christmas Tree," Connie finds herself at home alone on Christmas Eve since her landlady, Mrs. Davis, has other plans for the evening with her sister. So Connie is prepared to spend the night with just her cat Minerva. Suddenly a surprise visitor changes the total picture and the later happenings provide our Miss Brooks with a truly warm and caring Christmas Eve.

In "Jack Benny - Christmas In New York 1938," Jack has decided to spend Christmas and the 10 days before this holiday in New York City and has brought the entire gang, Phil Harris, Rochester, Mary Livingston, and more with him. Once he is settled into the hotel, Jack decides to do some Christmas shopping and he takes Mary with him.

In "Fibber McGee and Molly - Best Christmas Decorations," there has always been a competition among homeowners in the Midwestern town of Wistful Vista for the best outdoor holiday decorations. Fibber has never ever won or even placed in this competition so this year he is determined to break the spell and win.

In previous years of the "Elgin Old Tyme Radio Show" they have found that these performances range from sellouts to almost sellouts. So, don't delay! Get your tickets now so that you won't miss out on one of the best possible offerings to set up the mood for you and your family for this coming holiday season.

Performances of "An Elgin Old Tyme Holiday Radio Show 3" will be Nov. 15-17, 22-24. Friday and Saturday performances start at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances start at 2 p.m. at the Elgin Art Showcase, on the eighth floor of the Elgin Professional Building, 164 Division St. in downtown Elgin. Sunday performances will be interpreted for the hearing-impaired.

Tickets are $20 or $18 for seniors and students. Group rates and season tickets are also available.

For ticket reservations or information, call (847) 741-0532, email tickets@inil.com, or visit www.elgin-theatre.org to purchase tickets online.

Some parking is located on Division Street, as well as plentiful parking in the city of Elgin parking lot on the corner of Division Street and Douglas Street and in the city of Elgin parking deck located at the corner of Spring Street and Highland Avenue.

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

The 2019-20 season continues Jan. 24-Feb. 9 with Michael McKeever's "Suite Surrender." It's 1942, and two of Hollywood's biggest divas have descended upon the luxurious Palm Beach Royale Hotel - assistants, luggage, and legendary feud with one another in tow. Everything seems to be in order for their wartime performance. That is, until they are somehow assigned to the same suite. Mistaken identities, overblown egos, double-entendres, and a lap dog named Mr. Boodles round out this hilarious riot of a love note to the classic farces of the 1930s and '40s.

On April 17-May 3, they will present Sean Grennan's "The Tin Woman," based on a true story. Instead of relishing life after her heart transplant, Joy enters a downward spiral, unsure whether she truly deserves a second chance. At a friends urging she tracks down the family of the heart donor. This show uses humor and pathos to explore loss, family, and what it means to be given a new life.

The season will wrap up June 12-28 with "A Doll's House Part 2" by American playwright Lucas Hnath. The 2017 play imagines Nora, the protagonist in Henrik Ibsen's classic "A Doll's House" 15 years later. Nora had walked out on her family, leaving the care of her three children in the hands of her husband and their maid. This play delivers laughs while also posing thoughtful questions about marriage, gender inequality, and human rights.

Season tickets are $50 and $45 for student or seniors, 65 or older. The season tickets may be used for any four performances during the season.