'High Street Broadcast' to premiere on Sunday
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

SHE'S THE BOSS- Heather Gagnon, of Westlake Village, will portray the stage manager for the High Street Broadcast radio program.

Moorpark residents are invited to come experience the history and sound of old-time radio at the High Street Arts Center this weekend.

Several local talents have joined forces to create The High Street Broadcast variety show. Set in the framework of a Golden Age radio broadcast, the show includes comedy sketches, original music numbers and a complete three-part adventure serial.

"The show will feature current content presented in a fashion that's a throwback to the 1930s and 1940s," said Devlin Connors, lead writer, co-director and Broadcast host.

The High Street Broadcast was established to give local actors, writers and musicians freedom to create with an opportunity to regularly present their best efforts. Audiences don't have enough opportunity to see local performers, Connors said.

The show is a good fit for the High Street Arts Center, he said.

"The theater has always been home to wonderful forms of entertainment that seem to be a throwback to another time and place," said Connors.

Photos by BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers ON THE AIR- Left, Farley Cadena, of Woodland Hills, and Anna Graves, of Sherman Oaks, rehearse a jingle for the Sunday performance.

"It's a fun series, and allows for surprise guest performances and appearances in the future . . . you never know who may grace the stage at the High Street Broadcast," said theater manager L.J. Stevens.

The Broadcast presents an opportunity to spread the word about the theater and the quality of artistry presented here, she said, inviting the community to come on down for a fun time. The Broadcast is free- there is no charge to enjoy the experience.

The show is co-directed by Will Shupe, "the county's most talented character actor," according to Connors.

Broadcast performers include Anna Graves, Farley Cadena, Scott Gilbert, Liz Stockton and David Daniels. The entire group writes and directs the sketches, Connors said.

"It's a great mix of people."

The onehour event will incorporate original music written by Brian Barrale, Mark Mendelson and Lucas Miller, gifted composers who write for television and stage, said Connors.

"Brian and Mark together with Lucas on the drums make for a crack team working on the bandstand," he said.

Live sound effects true to the era will be performed by Moorpark's Golden Age radio enthusiast, Steve Carlson. He'll be utilizing the "tribute" Spike Jones Band sound effects cart, on loan from Joe Siracusa, the last remaining performing member of the Spike Jones Band.

Carlson won the VC Reporter award for best dramatic interpretation of 1999 for his coproduction of the 60th anniversary re-creation of Mercury Theater's "War of the Worlds," which he pulled together with the Santa Susana Radio Repertory Theater and Annie Lockhart. The Spike Jones tribute SFX cart was used in that show as well.

The opening performance will introduce regular characters in sketch pieces and include a comedy detective story.

The show will be from 4 to 5 p.m., Sun., May 6, the final show at the theater during the Moorpark Arts Festival.

Subsequent shows will take place on the last Sunday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. All shows will be free to the public.

The group plans to record the shows to air them on the Internet and on the radio. "That's why we wanted to do the radio show format," Connors said.