Posts Tagged Joshua English Scrimshaw

The Mysterious Old Radio Holiday Special

Celebrate the holidays with The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society!


A vintage radio draped in multi-colored lights and a red bow. At the center are black and white photos of four radio performers. In the background is a victorian holiday scene.

Monday, Dec 20, 7:30 PM
In Person or Streaming!

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The Society celebrates the season with a festive holiday special packed with mystery, humor and more!  Eric and Shanan invite Tim and Joshua over for Christmas! There are drinks, banter, presents, and, of course, old-time radio. This unique production combines the holiday specials of a bygone era with the Society’s signature brand of comedy, mystery, and suspense!

Three white men in Santa hats and Christmas sweaters holding vintage records.

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society is left to right: Eric Webster, Joshua English Scrimshaw, Tim Uren.

Plus! “The Green Menace, Episode 3” from Mysterious Assignment (Premiere): Agents Brinkman and Ship fight for their lives against an unearthly enemy! The penultimate chapter of a four-part serial created by Joshua English Scrimshaw and Tim Uren.

Come early for festive pre-show and intermission music by The Jaztronauts Trio – a space age swing ensemble, think Rat Pack meets the Mills Brothers!

The Jaztronauts Trio: (L to R) Jason Weismann (Sax/Vocal) , Joe Weismann (Bass/Vocal), Jimmy Kennedy (Piano/Vocal)

Upcoming Radio Shows Announced!

MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY ANNOUNCES UPCOMING SHOWS FOR MONTHLY PARK SQUARE THEATRE RESIDENCY 

Four Zoom squares with actors taking bows. They are in their homes surrounded by sound effects tools and twinkling lights.

Clockwise from upper left: Eric Webster, Tim Uren, Joshua English Scrimshaw, Shanan Custer

Saint Paul, Minn., Dec 3, 2020 – Theatre people of all stripes may miss the buzz of a full house, but the dedicated MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY continues finding new ways to entertain. Coming up, they have five new radio shows, continuing their monthly Monday night residency with Park Square Theatre. Themes will include evenings dedicated to cold weather, H.P. Lovecraft, and to dreamsPerformances are on Zoom on Jan 25, Feb 22, Mar 15, Apr 19 and May 24 at 7:30 p.m. 

The group originally pivoted to the pandemic by producing audio-only radio plays, but after applause for a zoom-recorded recreation of Orson Welles’s A Christmas Carol, all upcoming shows will be videos of the actors performing both their lines and creating the sound effects. “This is us in our homes performing on zoom,” says company member Eric Webster, “we do all the characters and all the foley and then edit it together. One audience member commented on how fun it was “seeing Tim literally change his hats to play different characters.”  

“Creating video, not just audio, gets us closer to the on-stage experience we were creating pre-pandemic,” says company member Joshua English Scrimshaw. “More than just remaking our favorites, we create something fresh from the golden-age shows that we all love so much, like Escape and Suspense.” The upcoming shows will be a combination of recreations of classic works, like a 1949 episode of Quiet Please in which scientists discover a gateway to a strange frozen dimension, and homages written by the company themselves, such as their ongoing series, Dead Men’s Tales. Full descriptions of the upcoming shows are available on the Park Square website. 

Another unforeseen benefit from the groupmove to virtual programming has been the ability to reach a national audience of mystery and radio fans. The December show reached audiences in 16 states including many delighted first-time attendees. “We knew we had some followers out there from our podcast, but it is amazing to have folks tuning in from D.C. to California,” says Webster. While some audience members are deep devotees of radio excited to have the opportunity to watch the show, otherhave shared their appreciation of being able to connect to remote friends and family through watching the shows together.  

Each evening includes live trivia-worthy introductions by the company and two prerecorded half hour radio dramas, followed by a live chat Q & A. “The Q & A’s are the best part,” says Webster. “We could just let the audience go sometimes, they are so smart and funny. We laugh and have a great time together.”  

 Members of The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society include local theatrical favorites: Eric Webster (Shade’s Brigade), Shanan Custer (2 Sugars, Room for Cream), Joshua English Scrimshaw (Comedy Suitcase) and Tim Uren (Ghoulish Delights). Online technical support and video editing by Aaron Fiskradatz.

TICKET PRICES: 
All Tickets $18. Intended for a single-household.
3-show packages also available for $36.
Tickets are on sale at parksquaretheatre.org 

The ticket office is temporarily closed due to corona virus. 
Please email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org with questions. 

CALENDAR INFORMATION: 
January 25, February 22, March 15, April 19, May 24. 
All performances at 7:30 pm. 
Streaming access to the pre-recorded portions of each show are available to ticket holders for one month following the initial release. 

PHOTOS: download at https://www.parksquaretheatre.org/media/photos/ 

PARK SQUARE THEATRE. 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul. www.parksquaretheatre.org 

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THE MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY

GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO LIVE ON PARK SQUARE THEATRE STAGE WITH
THE MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY

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Media Contact – Connie Shaver
shaver@parksquaretheatre.org

Saint Paul, Minn., January 9, 2020 –Mondays are for mystery as Park Square Theatre kicks off the New Year with a five-part residency with The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. Shows are scheduled for January 20, February 17, March 9, April 20, and May 11 on the Andy Boss Thrust Stage beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Society will revisit the great horror and suspense shows from the golden age of radio, performed in the style of a classic radio broadcast, including original commercials, eerie music and live sound effects. The opening performance on Monday, January 20 includes live lobby music with Ben Cook-Feltz.

“We’ve been wanting to partner with this talented team of performers for ages,” notes Park Square Theatre Executive Director Michael-jon Pease. “They are a perfect fit for Saint Paul, breathing fresh life and a spirit of fun into a classic genre from the age of the ‘well-made play.’ After visiting Heimie’s Haberdashery or strolling through Rice Park, you can go back to the days of live radio with these talented artists and delightful scripts.”

Members of The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society include local theatrical favorites: Eric Webster (Shade’s Brigade), Shanan Custer (2 Sugars, Room for Cream), Joshua English Scrimshaw (Comedy Suitcase) and Tim Uren (Ghoulish Delights).

For their first night in residence, Monday, January 20, The Society will present The Best of Old-Time Radio with two legendary thrillers. “Sorry, Wrong Number,” from Suspense, was first broadcast May 25th, 1943. Lucille Fletcher’s famous radio play tells the story of a woman confined to her bed who overhears two men plotting a murder. No less an authority than Orson Welles called it “the greatest single radio script ever written.” Voiced by Agnes Moorehead, the radio play, was added to the National Recording Registry in 2015. In “Three Skeleton Key,” three lighthouse keepers battle a horde of rats off the coast of French Guiana in the classic story from French writer George Toudouze. First broadcast on Escape on November 15th, 1949, the show’s popularity led to multiple radio productions, famously starring Vincent Price.

MORE ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS OLD RADIO LISTENING SOCIETY PODCAST:
The Society’s live performances are inspired by the podcast of the same name. The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast revisits the great crime, horror and suspense shows from the golden age of radio, including tales from Suspense, Lights Out, Quiet Please, The Shadow, and more. Each episode features a classic, or maybe-not-so classic story from the mysterious old-time radio vault, complete with historical notes and nerdy trivia. At the end of each podcast, your hosts, Tim, Joshua and Eric discuss the merits of the story and decide whether or not it stands the test of time.

Subscribe to The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast on iTunes, Youtube, or download episodes directly at ghoulishdelights.com.

MORE ABOUT THE CAST:

Four performers gathered around a 1940's style radio. They are surrounded by instruments for making sound effects

Eric Webster, Shanan Custer, Tim Uren, Joshua English Scrimshaw. Photo by Ben Theitje


Shanan Custer
is half of the 2 Sugars Show (with Carolyn Pool) that includes their Ivey Award winning show 2 Sugars, Room for Cream, their Park Square 2018-2019 season opener hit Sometimes There’s Wine and—coming soon—Bad Things, Good Whiskey. Other original work includes the 2018 MN Fringe Golden Lanyard Winning musical Not Fair, My Lady! (with Colleen Somerville and Anita Ruth).

Joshua English Scrimshaw is the co-founder of the Twin Cities-based all-ages theater company Comedy Suitcase, and the dance and physical comedy troupe English Scrimshaw Theatrical Novelties. Joshua has been called “a clever and inventive voice in Twin Cities comedy theater” by The Star Tribune, and “a modern-day Buster Keaton” by mnartists.org. When not making comedy, Joshua enjoys performing and listening to old-time radio with his Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society pals.

Tim Uren has been performing, writing, and directing theater at festivals and small venues in the Twin Cities for over 25 years. Along the way, he has worked with companies such as Theater Pro Rata, the Brave New Workshop, and Theater in the Round. In 2013, he established Ghoulish Delights, a theater company dedicated to bringing tales of horror and suspense to Twin Cities stages. Additionally, Uren has written and designed for board games, including Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror.

Eric Webster is an actor, producer and writer for stage, radio and television for 25 years. On stage credits include; Guthrie Theater, Park Square Theatre, Artistry Theater, Workhaus Collective, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Pioneer Place Theater. He also directs Theater and Improv for the Centennial School District. He is the creator of the original radio theater drama Shades Brigade.

MORE ABOUT GHOULISH DELIGHTS:
Ghoulish Delights is a Minneapolis-based theater company that specializes in bringing tales of suspense and horror to the stage. For more information visit ghoulishdelights.com

 

TICKET PRICES:

All tickets $23
Tickets are on sale at the Park Square Ticket Office, 20 W. Seventh Place, or by phone: 651.291.7005, (Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday), or online at parksquaretheatre.org.   Tickets will also be available at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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CALENDAR INFORMATION

Performances: January 20, February 17, March 9, April 20, and May 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Andy Boss Thrust Stage

Photo by Ben Thietje Left to right: Eric Webster, Shanan Custer, Tim Uren and Joshua English Scrimshaw

Photo by Joe Weismann Left to right: Joshua English Scrimshaw, Tim Uren and Eric Webster.

The Ticket Office is open from noon to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Friday. Call 651.291.7005.

PARK SQUARE THEATRE. 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul. Ticket Office: 651.291.7005. parksquaretheatre.org

Tickets

The box office is currently closed. Please email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org with any questions.

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