Golden Age of Radio returns to the Tecumseh Center for the Arts this weekend

The Tecumseh Center for the Arts, in collaboration with The Tecumseh Players and the TCA Big Band and VocalAires, is proud to present its production of the WTCA Radio Show. Back by popular demand, this show harkens back to the days of the Golden Age of Radio, with great live swing-era music, drama, comedy, sound effects, and commercials.
Performances on March 28 and 29 will include songs of the World War II era, such as White Cliffs of Dover, Time Was, Saturday Night, Sentimental Journey, and Kalamazoo, as well as a radio comedy entitled, Hare Dryer, a western, Hawk of the West, and the conclusion to our detective story from last year’s radio show, Rick Lowell, Private Eye. The WTCA Radio Show is proudly sponsored by WLEN Radio, with support from Bonner Hills, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for The Arts.

As in days gone by, the audience plays an integral part of the WTCA Radio Show experience. Johanna Walker, TCA Executive Director commented of the 2007 performance, “Audiences truly enjoyed the stories and were amazed as they watched the cast create all the terrific sound effects live on stage. Along with the fabulous music of the TCA Big Band and VocalAires, this show really takes you back in time.”
Robert Soller, long-time Lenawee County resident and veteran director of countless shows both at Tecumseh Center for the Arts and The Croswell, is back as director of the show, and boasts a cast of 32 actors and three sound effects artists. Adrian College Director of Bands, Dr. Marty Marks, along with Jim Rice, again lead the 22-piece TCA Big Band and VocalAires.

The cast of the comedy, Hare Dryer, includes an award-winning, gargling bunny, a persistent dog, and a whole host of characters trying to “help” their neighbor. Based on an urban legend, this story has twists and turns to entertain audiences of all ages.
Rick Lowell — Private Eye is a three-part original 1940s-style detective drama series similar to The Adventures of Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe. In the conclusion of the story, “The Stuff that Dreams are Made of,” Rick Lowell searches for the prop falcon from The Maltese Falcon movie and runs into Nazi agents, crooked dames, Hollywood actors, and dangerous gangsters. This exciting and often humorous show is packed with classic 1940’s Los Angeles settings, “hard-boiled” dialogue, and colorful characters.
In Hawk of the West, a mysterious lawman named The Hawk, a Lone-Ranger styled hero, and his sidekick, Uzumati, fight corruption in the West. In the story, deadly nighttime raids threaten to start an Indian war. Buffalo stampedes, saloon characters, a tough lady rancher, and a whole host of others will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Performances are Friday, March 28, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 29, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $14 for adults and $12 for senior citizens and students. They can be purchased online at the TCA website, www.theTCA.org, over the phone at 517-423-6617, and at the box office during regular hours. The Tecumseh Center for the Arts box Office, located at 400 N. Maumee, Tecumseh, Michigan, is open from 12 noon – 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and one hour before curtain.