The Prince William Little Theatre will bring one of America’s most cherished Christmas stories to the stage this December — not as a traditional play, but as a live 1940s-style radio broadcast.
From December 12 through 21, 2025, audiences at the Gregory Family Theater inside the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas will step back in time for It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry. The show reimagines Frank Capra’s beloved holiday classic through the lens of a vintage radio studio, complete with actors at standing microphones, an “On Air” sign, and a live Foley artist creating real-time sound effects.
“It’s not just a staged reading — it’s fully choreographed,” said Bob Thompson, production designer and director for the Prince William Little Theatre. “We have five actors who move between microphones, playing multiple roles from George Bailey and Mary to Mr. Potter and Clarence. It’s acting, not reciting.”
The set, designed by Thompson, recreates the look and feel of a postwar radio studio on Christmas Eve 1949, when It’s a Wonderful Life was still new to audiences. The show features authentic touches — classic microphones, tacky tinsel, and period posters — that immerse theatergoers in a nostalgic broadcast atmosphere.
Adding to the authenticity, the company will perform with a Foley arts table, producing nearly all sound effects live on stage. “The door knocks, the car horns, even the sound of snow — it’s all done right there,” Thompson said. “We want people to experience how imagination once filled the room when families gathered around the radio.”
A message of hope and remembrance
Beyond its festive charm, the production carries a deeper purpose. The Prince William Little Theatre has partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention — a theme rooted in the story’s central message.
“George Bailey is in despair. He believes he’s worth more dead than alive,” Thompson said. “Clarence, his guardian angel, shows him just how many lives he’s touched. That’s a powerful reminder, especially during the holidays.”
The partnership will include the sale of angel lapel pins for $5 at each performance, with all proceeds going to AFSP’s National Capital Chapter. “It means a lot to us personally,” Thompson added. “All three of my adult children have lost someone to suicide. We want to help erase the stigma and remind people they’re not alone.”
A classic story with new depth
Thompson said audiences can expect to see beloved scenes from the film brought to life through radio-style storytelling — from George and Mary’s famous phone call to the emotional bridge sequence and the joyful finale when a bell rings and an angel earns its wings.
The production may even end with a surprise: “We might make it snow,” Thompson said with a smile.
During the interview, the founder and publisher of Potomac Local News noted the story’s enduring relevance. “When I said this movie was ahead of its time, I meant it,” Kiser said. “Without It’s a Wonderful Life, we might never have gotten movies like Back to the Future Part II or modern stories about second chances.”
Thompson agreed, pointing out how the 1946 film reflected the struggles of World War II veterans returning home. “Jimmy Stewart, who played George Bailey, was a veteran himself,” she said. “He understood the feelings of guilt and grief that soldiers carried — what we now know as PTSD.”
If you go
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
📅 December 12–21, 2025
📍 Gregory Family Theater, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Manassas, Va.
🎟️ Tickets: pwlt.org
💙 Proceeds from angel pin sales benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
