Troupe brings radio classics to life
The Spirit of the Airwaves Players presented an old-time radio show at the Tamaqua Community Art Center as part of a monthlong series of events commemorating Memorial Day. Using simple props and skits from actual shows, they encouraged the audience to return to “those days of yesteryear.” TAMAQUA REMEMBERS/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Our imaginations are only limited by the boundaries we set.
A perfect example of this was displayed last Saturday as the Spirit of the Airwaves Players (SOAP) took center stage at the Stitch Theater at the Tamaqua Community Art Center. The troupe brought to life several old radio classics, a popular form of entertainment in the early 20th century, as part of the Tamaqua Remembers monthlong observance of Memorial Day.
Audience members of a certain age were taken back to their childhoods as the radio announcer intoned, “A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-ho, Silver!” Younger audience members had the opportunity to use their imaginations to hear galloping hoofs instead of prop shoes.
The Lone Ranger skit was just one of several acts, which were interspersed with actual old radio commercials, which entranced the audience.
The players are based in Berks County, formed in 2001 in conjunction with the World War II commemorative weekend at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading. The weekend has long featured the military aspects of the war and the radio shows were added as a means of honoring what was happening on the homefront. Those were the days before televisions, computers and smartphones, with families gathering around their radios for news and entertainment.
While the old special effect props may pale in comparison to today’s computer-generated graphics, they are perfect for stimulating the imagination.
