Evergreen Park Candlelight Radio Theatre Is On The Air

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — While the Evergreen Park Recreation Department looks forward to the return of live theater this spring through its own Candlelight Theatre program, the now-fading omicron surge had not stopped the troupe's desire to perform for the Evergreen Park community – even sight unseen.

Immediately after the New Year's holiday, the company began production on a series of audio podcasts, recorded without an audience in a socially-distanced setup in the Evergreen Park Senior Center. These pre-recorded audio performances began hitting the village website last month.

"The Candlelight Radio Theatre" is a weekly half-hour program reminiscent of the golden age of radio entertainment, featuring episodes of music, comedy, mystery, drama and suspense. There are now six episodes available for on-demand streaming on your computer or mobile device, with an additional handful in production now.

"There is something magical about listening to dramatic or comedy radio productions, "said Cathi Diamond, a frequent performer who also teaches youth drama classes for the recreation department. "They call it the 'Theatre of the Mind' because, as you hear the dialogue and music and the sound effects, each listener has his own image in mind and no two of those mind-movies are the same."

Kevin Denny, another performer, added, "as a performer, it is fun and challenging to do these productions because you can play a different character every week."

"One week, you are the master detective solving a complicated crime, and the next week, you are a bumbling comedy Knight of the Round Table,” Tom Jakubczak, another performer, said.

New shows typically drop Monday afternoon, with the next show ready to stream April 4.