Nikki Buechler
shawville Dec. 10 2021
The Pontiac Community Players performed a live radio play: “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis, adapted by Greg Graham, on Friday night at the United Church in Shawville. A fairly sizeable crowd came out to watch, though as it turns out, there isn’t much watching involved in a radio play.
There is something quite nostalgic and special about a live radio performance. Sitting in the . . .
audience is an immersive experience; it is easy to lose oneself in the imaginative process without visual stimuli. The theatrical effect is reminiscent of being read to as a child. But better, as there are voices, and sound, and music to set the mood.
The actors all seemed relaxed and comfortable, well-rehearsed and engaged. A radio play involves voice acting — there is no physical theatre (or very little). That said, some of the actors performed in costume on Friday night. The crazy scientist uncle, played by Craig Young, looked like a quintessential crazy scientist. Deb Stephens seemed comfortable in her role as the Evil Queen. It was suggested by one of the members that the high school principal was appropriately typecast.
However, it was the child actors who deserved the limelight on Friday evening. Both of the young protagonists, Isaac Graham and Robin Lottes, were convincing and committed. They had flair – not just individually, but in the way they interacted with each other and the rest of the cast.
The young actors were well-practiced and comfortable with each other, and interactions were well-timed and nuanced. With only their voices, they were able to convincingly convey an impressive variety of emotions using subtle fluctuations of timbre, inflection, velocity — the absence of physical theatrical gestures was not a handicap for these actors.
Music and effects for the play were performed at a side table, next to Matt Lottes. Lottes, a music teacher at Pontiac High School, played piano and guitar for the occasion, adding ambiance and drama to the theatrical event.
Having live Foley effects feels like a treat. Sound is an integral part of a radio play — one expects to hear horses in the distance, a door creaking, a splash. It was interesting and informative to see the eclectic collection of tools and instruments being used, and their occasional diegetic interplay with the actors.
