We started the season cooking with gas, by transforming our dinner theatre show into a rrreally-big-shoo – fit for an honest-to-goodness theatre stage. The folks at Charlie White Theatre in Sidney gave us a warm welcome and with the help of our pal and stage manager, Mara Brenner, we had a delightful show in this very beautiful theatre.
And right on the heels of our big theatre debut, we teamed up with Crimson Coast Dance Society to throw a sensational 40’s themed dance hall party; the likes of which Nanaimo had never seen before. Retro to Electro was six solid hours of high calibre entertainment. We had radio theatre, live music with Dinah D’s Contraband Swingclub, electro-swing with DJ Daniel Trump, dance and costume contests, an incredible MC/funny gal Kat Single-Dain and her multitude of characters, singing telegrams, candy cigar girls, vintage drinks and food, an EyevannaCandy Retro Peepshow, Too-Hot-To-Handle LED performances by Vesta Entertainment and…the piece de resistance…THE PHOTO BOOTH. Just look at this incredible Packard Darrin convertible! Our very own good-egg, David Botten, made that. Wonderful, isn’t it? And I really should say kudos to everyone who attended because they went all-out with the period clothing and hairstyles. Everybody looked simply hotsy-totsy.
Between Charlie White and Retro to Electro, TRT got quite a lot of media attention. Check out these great Spotlights on Go! Both North Island and South Vancouver Island.
In early October the cast of Twilight Radio Theatre was honoured to be asked to perform Charlotte Cameron’s new radio play October Ferries To Gabriola. The play debuted during a series of community events marking the 70th anniversary of novelist Malcolm Lowry’s visit to Gabriola; the trip that inspired his posthumous novel, October Ferry to Gabriola.
Santa had a special treat in store for Twilight Radio Theatre as 2016 came to a close. We were invited to perform several shows at the David Foster Theatre in the 5-star Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Even in our wildest imaginations we could not have dreamed of a more fitting setting for the cast to recreate the Golden Age of Radio. Walking into the theatre was like walking back in time to an elegant supper club of yesteryear. Everything about this experience was over-the-top; the theatre, the staff, the food, the audience…all possessed a certain class and style that conveyed the special allure of times gone by.
As we said goodbye to 2016 and hello to the New Year we also had to wave farewell to one of our beloved cast members; Tina Jones. That gal is destined for big things, I tell ya! Join us in wishing her well in everything she sets her considerable talents to and be sure to look out for her new album coming next fall. We can’t wait!
And so…as the world welcomed in the New Year, TRT prepared to welcome a new cast member. As folks made their New Year’s resolutions Twilight Radio drew up a shopping list of talents. You see…Tina has so many in her kit bag that it seemed impossible to find anyone who could fill those shoes. We thank our lucky stars that we live on the Isle of the Arts. For those of you who are not familiar with Gabriola Island, it is home to a plethora of musicians, artists, actors, dancers, writers….you name it! Gabriola’s got talent! And so we found a man who, although he can never ever replace our Tina, brings with him such an arsenal of gifts that his saddle shoes will absolutely measure up those stunning high heels. Ladies and Gentlemen…please welcome…the incomparable Adam Kerby!
And boy-oh-boy….did Adam ever prove he was worth his salt at his first show. Kathy had the flu and couldn’t do the show; so in true “the-show-must-go-on” fashion the gents performed the show without her. That’s right…they performed ALL of the girl voices themselves. Talk about trial by fire. It was a riot! A little bit like Monty Python meets Candy Matson. On the second night of the run Kathy had regained her voice and was back in the saddle again. Whew! We had a ton of fun with our guests as we performed Murder Will Out!, an audience participation murder mystery game show. True to form, the audience WAS the most important part of the show. Contestants joined TRT on stage and sleuthfully solved the murder; to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd. We are always tickled pink any time we can involve the audience in the show and we endeavour to have more and more of that particular brand of fun in the future.
We have a great TRT team here on Gabriola.
Ken at Crowd of 100 is a super star! He has a dream: To share TRT with BC, with Canada, with the world! 5 minutes with Ken will tell you just how much he believes in us. We are so thankful to have his wind in our sails.
Our pal Pami can always be found greeting our guests on Gabriola and you would be hard pressed to find a more lovely way to start the evening. Pami is a gem and we are so grateful to her for her enthusiasm and commitment to the gang.
The Surf Lodge has become home to Twilight Radio Theatre’s season of Gabriola shows. This historic building has been welcoming guests for as long as radio has been around and its warmth and charm makes it the perfect place stay, eat, drink and let yourself travel back in time with Twilight Radio Theatre. We are indebted to its wonderful staff; a group of great friends who make you feel like you are one of the family.
And let’s not forget about YOU, the audience; you are the most important part of the show!
We hope everyone has a fun-filled summer full of laughter and sunshine. Twilight Radio Theatre will return to the Surf in October to kick off our third season. We hope you will come join the fun and see what and (ahem) who we might have up our sleeve.
Well, well, well, this self-isolation has been pretty challenging for actors and musicians, who normally provide live shows! Fortunately “The Show Must Go On” has been built right in to our DNA, so Twilight Radio has found a way to do it…sort of.
and what do you know…WE are the next segment of the podcast Straight Outta Gabriola.
Twilight Radio Theatre really started to build momentum in our 4th Season. Our TRT Fan Club quadrupled in numbers, as theatre goers began to realize that this was not just a gag, but that they could win Seasons Passes to our show just like Ray and Lesley.
Our mugs started to fly off the shelves and as more and more people discovered the wonderful world of Old Time Radio Live On Stage our shows began to sell out in record time. In many cases we had to add a third show at the last minute. A nice problem to have!
And as if we weren’t blessed enough, many of our friends gave us glorious vintage gifts: an actual vintage radio, incredibly classic and classy costume pieces, a whole set of Old Time Radio cassette tapes and a well-loved retro suitcase to haul all our FX from town to town. T.R.T. has the best friends! We are incredibly lucky…and very grateful for your generosity!
Twilight Radio Theatre 