Radio plays help make Christmas a little brighter

Radio plays first graced American airwaves in the early 1990s, but at Talking Information Center, which reads newspapers, books, and other publications to its blind and low-vision audience, they’re a special form of entertainment — especially at Christmas.

This holiday season, Marshfield-based Talking Information Center will be presenting the romantic comedy “The Shop Around the Corner” for its annual Christmas radio drama live on Dec. 23 at 7 p.m.

Executive Director Anna Dunbar said the play’s volunteer actors have helped their listeners continue accessing the arts both before and throughout the pandemic.

“All of our programming means so much to our listeners, what we hear is that our mission is really a lifeline to those at home,” Dunbar said. “Even before the pandemic it was harder for them, whether for financial reasons, transportation, or accessibility reasons to get to theater. So they have called us and continuously thanked us for the TIC radio podcast players, because it allows them to experience something really fun and unique.”

The show, adapted from a 1940s play with the same name by Ernst Lubitsch, revolves around two co-workers who don’t get along until they become anonymous pen pals and slowly fall in love. The play also inspired the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail” starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.

The live show will be available via TIC’s app and website, www.ticnetwork.org. The recording will also be archived on TIC’s website for those who can’t make the live broadcast. For more information, call 781-834-4400

Laura Kerrigan, director of “The Shop Around the Corner,” said TIC’s radio plays help people maintain a sense of community.

“It’s like everybody’s seeing the same episode of a show,” Kerrigan said. “It’s connecting us on this human level. Although we might be apart, we’re all laughing and crying together. And, it gives us a shared sense of community. I think it makes us feel less isolated.”