(Press release)

SALADO, TEXAS (Dec. 8, 2008) – When is it acceptable to break the "invisible fourth wall" between actors and audience? Well, just about all the time for "Jingle Bell Broadcast," the holiday comedy at the Silver Spur Theater in Salado. The patrons are the audience for the onstage WSPR radio station staffers scrambling to save their annual live holiday broadcast.

"The stage apron is no barrier to our acting ensemble," says Grainger Esch, Co-founder of the Spur (108 Royal St.). "We've had a great response from our audiences. Children love the slapstick comedy and general goofiness, while the adults appreciate the jokes, songs, skills and story. Laughs are plentiful, and guests typically comment on the uniqueness of the experience, or 'never having seen anything quite like it'."

"Jingle Bell Broadcast" takes audiences back to the "Golden Age of Radio" this Yule season with a sleigh-full of holiday hilarity on Fridays and Saturday through Dec. 20. Attendees are right in "the radio studio audience" for the music, the merriment and the memorable, mirthful staging of an "on-the-air" variety show.

It’s Christmas Eve at the small local broadcast facilities where production crew and maintenance staff busily prepare for a live Yule-time show. Faced with a last-minute cancellation by the scheduled performers, a bad case of faulty electrical wiring and the news that the station faces imminent foreclosure, the crew must step lively to keep the airwaves alive during an emergency fundraising drive.

Hilarity ensues as they try to save the station and discover their own hidden talents that bring holiday cheer for the audience and listeners out in "Radioland." Song, satire, sentiment, and slapstick are among the gifts from the Spur-radical players’ bag of goodies. The seasonal scenario is conceived, written and performed by a cast of veteran performers, continuing the Spur's tradition of homespun, heartfelt, original family entertainment.

The cast includes Saladoans Esch, Karen Ewton, Mary Bentley and juggler Tom Rolls; the Spur's tuneful troubadour, Tony Blackman; resident goofball Kevin C. Carr of Round Rock, and musical accompanist Nelda Milligan of Harker Heights. Esch, Carr and Rolls are all veterans of Ringling's Clown Alley. Special guest variety artists will also grace the Spur stage.

"I think what sets us apart from other shows is the freedom to improvise," Esch added. "Breaking the fourth wall lets us play with the audience, rather than just to the audience. Although our show is written and rehearsed, there's a spontaneity in our performances that makes them refreshing and fun for audience and performers alike."

“Jingle Bell Broadcast” runs weekends only with show times at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Evening shows are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, military personnel and students with ID; and $8 for children aged 12 and under. For matinees, admission is $12, $10 and $8, respectively. Group rates also are available. For reservations, call the box office at 254-947-3456. For more info, visit www.saladosilverspur.com.

"Since the holidays are generally filled with planning, pandemonium and presents," Esch noted, "Every member of the family should consider taking a break from the decorating, cooking, shopping, wrapping, endless football games and greeting cards and treat themselves to hearty laughter and the enjoyment of live entertainment. It is certainly a present to themselves and another great form of seasonal togetherness for families."