‘Radio Daze’ is a fundraiser for veteran trips to D.C.

The Bright Life Players will present “Radio Daze” on Feb. 23 and 24 at 7 p.m., March 2 and 3 at 7 p.m., and March 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 68.

“We’re a group of actors who decided we wanted to do more with putting mission and theater together,” Maggie Leatherman said. “We wanted to somehow incorporate giving back to the community.”

The theater troupe decided to put on plays and donate their profits to area charities.

“Radio Daze” will be the group’s third production. Proceeds will be donated to the 2018 Holmes-Wayne Honor Trips. The trips provide an opportunity for veterans of WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to travel to Washington, D.C. with a companion to visit the memorials and numerous other places of interest.

There is no cost for veteran participants, and the trips will take place Aug. 24-26. The estimated cost per companion is between $375 and $400.

The project is sponsored by donations from individuals and community groups and is organized by Holmes Wayne Electric Cooperative and Shreve American Legion Forest Post 67.

“We try to match the theme of our play with the donation,” said Leatherman, who is the director of “Radio Daze.”

The play, written by Shirley McNichols, is set in a radio station during wartime in the 1940s. The station produces a melodramatic soap opera. When everyone decides to help the war effort by locating spies, all the cast and crew at the station become suspect.

It’s a comedy with enough twists and turns to keep the audience appropriately “dazed” and laughing. “We chose ‘Radio Daze’ because it sounded like a lot of fun, and when we read it, it was hilarious,” Leatherman said.

It’s an ensemble show with a cast of 28 actors who have “come together in this fantastic team,” Leatherman said.

Lorimae Reynolds is the costumer for the show. To come up with the 1940s look, Leatherman said, “We shopped at thrift stores. Some people had pieces they dug out of their closets, and we borrowed a lot.”

Rehearsals began in January. The show has simple sets, so the cast will handle their own scene changes.

Lynne Ayres Frye plays Darla Drivel, one of the head writers for the soap opera. Frye has been acting since grade school.

“I was writing plays and staging them on my driveway for the neighbors,” Frye said. “I love community theater because it brings people of all ages together. I have met so many wonderful people through this hobby that I would not have had the opportunity to know otherwise.”

Frye also is appreciative of being involved in an event that generates a donation. “I think we can never do enough to honor our veterans,” she said, “so I’m proud to be a part of this production.”

Melissa Davis plays Billie Hunicutt, the soap opera director, in the show. She’s been acting since high school.

Davis said she participates in community theater because Broadway hasn’t discovered her yet. “Seriously though, the variety of shows, the variety of people, the lifelong friendships you create, I feel that can only happen in community theater,” she said.

Davis has been involved in all three of the Bright Life Theater productions and also appreciates the mission of giving back to the community. “When we are deciding on a production, we consider our charity, our show and our core values,” she said. “Sometimes that’s not as easy as it sounds.”

A swing band ensemble made up of band students from Triway High School will play period music before the show starts to set the atmosphere for theatergoers.

Leatherman doesn’t know yet what the next project will be for the Bright Life Players. Anyone interested in auditioning is invited to check the website at www.brightlifeplayers.org and find them on Facebook.

Volunteers are needed to help out before and during performances.

“’Radio Daze’ is a hilarious comedy,” Frye said. “I think this is going to be a perfect way to spend a winter evening for anyone who attends one of the shows.”

The American Legion Post 68 is located at 901 Sylvan Road, Wooster. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for age 12 and under, and $30 for a family four-pack.