Radio Players will perform June 4 at Dietrich

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The Dietrich Theater Golden Days of Radio Players invites everyone to take part in “theater of the mind” 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the historic Dietrich Theater, Tioga Street, downtown Tunkhannock.

This live, free performance, featuring 15 volunteer actors, will take audience members back to a simpler time, before television, when radio was the only form of broadcast entertainment, and families would gather around the radio to enjoy the latest episode of their favorite shows.

Esther Harmatz, Radio Players Director, likes to keep things light, therefore, the cast will perform a light-hearted mystery and two comedies including an episode of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot from 1945 “The Case of the Careless Client,” in which the famous mustachioed detective deals with his first case in America.

They will also perform an episode of “My Friend Irma” from 1952 called “Irma Writes a Column.” In this episode Irma’s friends try to give Irma some guidance and advice as she attempts to write a newspaper gossip column.

The third play that evening will be an episode of “The Life of Riley” from 1947 called “A New Car??” In this comedy, Riley enters a contest to try to win a new car.

“We enjoy keeping this form of early entertainment alive,” Harmatz said, “and try to present our shows to the audience as if they were sitting in the studio watching a live broadcast on the air .. our cast does not dress for characters in the shows, but dress as people may have dressed to go to work at the radio station. It’s a live performance, with some live sound effects, and anything can happen.”

Cast members for the upcoming Golden Days of Radio show include Owen Frazier, Ian Frazier, Pam Frazier, Vicki Novajosky, Damian Leone, Liz Winski, Rich Ryczak, June Lybolt, Beth Romanski, Jerry Beaucheane, Gerard Mirabelli, Christopher Mirabelli, D.A. Moyer, Jayme Moyer, and Hoyt Keiser.

The evening is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Tunkhannock and by Ed Battestin in memory of Pat Battestin.

Preshow entertainment, starting at 6:40 p.m., will include songs from the 1940s presented by the Mirabelli Brothers, Christopher and Gerard.

Free tickets are available to the Dietrich Theater Radio Players’ Show at 570-836-1022 x3 or at the door while they last. A light reception will follow the performance.