El Reno High School Going Old School For Holiday Show

You know the movie when you hear the line. 

"Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

But this is no movie. 

“This is probably not something we would normally do," said El Reno High School sophomore Trystan Peavler, who is playing Mary. 

These are not normal times, which is why these teenage troubadours are performing “It’s A Wonderful Life” in a format that was last popular 70 years ago. 

“I think the hardest thing for me as a teacher was seeing my kids kind of deflated when everything closed," El Reno High School theater teacher Stacy Haberland said.

While a traditional holiday show in 2020 is about as realistic as lassoing the moon, Haberland had the idea to do a radio version of the beloved Christmas classic. 

The class has been rehearsing for the past two weeks. 

 “I’ve seen it a lot, I love this movie," said El Reno High School sophomore Johnny Towles, who is playing the part of George Bailey. 

“The kids have already seen me cry,” Haberland said. “When we do read-throughs, I cry every time I watch it.”

You don’t have to be the richest man in town to enjoy the show. A “round trip” ticket from El Reno to Bedford Falls, with a detour in Pottersville, costs $7. 

The performances will go live at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday night.

All you have to do is pull into the media arts parking lot, grab a program that will have a radio station listed in it and tune in for the performance. 

“It’s really something to look forward to, like really something to brighten your day," Peavler said.