Community Corner

Locals Star in Bergen Community College Holiday Production

Performers and crew members from parts of north Jersey take part in "The 1940s Radio Hour" which will be performed at the Anna Maria Ciccione Theater at BCC beginning Nov. 30.

Dozens of actors from all over the north Jersey area will appear in the upcoming production of “The 1940s Radio Hour” at Bergen Community College in Paramus beginning at the end of this month.   

“The 1940s Radio Hour,” written by Walton Jones, portrays the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade, a struggling radio troupe, on the New York radio station WOV in December 1942. 

The play will open in the Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre on the College’s main campus at 400 Paramus Road. Performances scheduled are Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 6, 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. with matinee performances on Dec. 1 and 8 at 2 p.m. A special sign-interpreted performance will be held on Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Teaneckwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The story centers on a producer who has to cope with dysfunctional band members including a drunk lead singer, a delivery boy who wants to perform, and a saxophone player who is deployed after the final broadcast.

Local performers include John Sapida of Paramus plays Lou Cohn; Jess Abrams, of Wyckoff, as Zoot Doubleman; Alexander Rivera, of Teaneck, as Clifton A. Feddington; Sarah Strickland, of Washington Township, as Ginger Brooks;and Cassandra Shiller, of Franklin Lakes, as Connie Miller.

Find out what's happening in Teaneckwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The remaining cast includes Joe Rose of Paterson as “Pops” Bailey; Matthew Cordero, of Kearny, as Stanley; Michael Sconzo, of Clifton, as Wally Ferguson;; Philip Hackett, of Ringwood, as Johnny Cantone; Ly’ Quan “Que” McCray, of Paterson, as Neal Tilden; William “Billy” Truppner, of Hoboken, as B.J. Gibson; Amanda Zaccone, of Clifton, as Ann Collier; T’Shana Barrett, of Bloomfield, as Geneva Lee Browne; and Danny DeRito, of Montvale, as Biff Baker.

Local folks are working on the production crew such as Jeremy Wojciechowski, of Hasbrouck Heights who is the stage manager, Jess Abrams of Wycoff is the musical director and Diana Ciappina of Ramsey is the show’s choreopgraher.

Oakland’s Richard Sasson is lighting designer, John Ehrenberg of New Milford is the set designer.

Jim Bumgardner of Upper Nyack, NY who is the director/producer of the production. Rounding out the prodution crew is Technical Coordinator: Thomas O’Neill, of Long Island City, NY; Marie Natali, of North Haledon is the costume designer; Patrick Ryan, of Union Beach is the sound designer, Dan Conrad, of Lyndhurst is the props designer. Assistant Stage Manager is Jamie Kurtz, of Little Ferry and the Assistant Props Coordinator is Anna Kissel, of West Milford.

Tickets cost $12 for general admission, $7 for students and senior citizens (65 and over), and are available by calling (201) 447-7428 or online at http://tickets.bergen.edu

Follow Englewood-Englewood Cliffs Patch on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our free daily newsletter. News tip? E-mail englewood@patch.com 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here