20TH YEAR RADIO DRAMA GETS GOLD WITH THIRD AWARD

Every Now and Then Theatre's 20th year anniversary radio drama, Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story, has won a 2011 International Communicator Gold Award for audio excellence. 

To highlight their 20th year, the troupe brought back the talents of previous celebrity hosts Tim Conway, Jamie Farr, Cheryl Ladd and Charlene Tilton to co-host.  The show aired several times in 2009 on both KVTA and KKZZ.  In 2010, the production won an International Davey Silver Award and an International OMNI Silver Award, both for radio entertainment.

According to Communicator Awards spokesperson Linda Day, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.  Entries are judged and overseen by a Who's Who of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms.

"In the years we've produced the Dickens' classic, we've chosen to present it as the ghost story he intended it to be," said Producer and co-Director James Wortman from Ventura.  "This December, we're teaming up with Conejo Players Theatre in Thousand Oaks for a live audience production that will be recorded for future broadcast."

“When casting shows, we scout top talent from local productions, " said co-Director and Casting Coordinator Linda Stiegler from Thousand Oaks.  "What separates us from other productions is we allow our participants one group reading, then perform.  It keeps everybody engaged every second."  Founded in 1990, Every Now and Then Theatre now counts 28 awards-- 25 international and three national-- since first entering radio drama competitions in 2003.

Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story's countywide cast starred Keith Hurt as Scrooge and spotlighted the talents of Arryck Adams, Bob Allen, Bob Decker, Jim Diderrich, Judy Diderrich, Gordon Durich, Jonathan Ely, Erin Fagundes, Mark Fagundes, Zoe Fagundes, Damian Gravino, Jeremy Hanna, Olivia Heulitt, Tami Keaton, Shawn W. Lanz, Ray Mastrovito, Vanessa Orr, Debbie Price, Jake Price, Christy Stephan, CiCi Stephan, Linda M. Stiegler, Bob West, and James Wortman. 

The broadcast featured an original score by Cheryl A. Talbot of Simi Valley.  Sound Engineers were David Tuomi of Thousand Oaks and Bob Allen of Ventura.  The production was made possible with resources from New Era Debt Solutions in Camarillo for script printing and performance space, Barkerductions in Ventura for gear, and KVTA and KKZZ for air time.

The all volunteer Every Now and Then Theatre's 2011 season is on their relaunched website at www.EveryNowandThenTheatre.com.