DEKALB- The Stage Coach Players Theater will be performing a production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The play will premier 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Stage Coach Players Theater, 126 S. Fifth St. The show will also run 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14. There will be 2 p.m. showings on Dec. 5 and 15.  

“‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ is such an iconic holiday movie, one that I’ve always loved, and so I thought the play would be an excellent choice for Stage Coach to produce,” Tim Ball said, the director of the play. 

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a story about a man who takes his life for granted. In a series of events the audience, along with the main character George Bailey, realize what living truly means. The play also acts as a love story between George and Mary Bailey. 

The organization will be using various actors and actresses for the production, Ball said. Denny Boynton will star in the play as George Bailey and Dorcas Keating will portray Mary Bailey, George’s wife. 

“The love my parents have of this story made me want to audition,” Keating said. 

Many of the characters throughout the play are relatable and complicated.

“Mary is simply in love for most of the story, she was resolved, at a young age, to marry George Bailey, so remembering my school girl crush days wasn’t hard,” Keating said. 

Multiple roles will be filled by the same people. Actors Mike Anderson, Steve Challgren and Richard Christensen will be playing three roles each in the play.

“Additionally my father and my children had an opportunity to be with me on stage,” Keating said. “Many cast members have their families on stage with them. It’s truly a family affair.” Keating is referring to the number of actors who are related or close. This includes over a dozen children who will be part of the performance, according to Keating. 

The show will be directed by Tim Ball, who directed his first production in 1994. The first play he directed was called, “An Act of the Imagination,” by Bernard Slade, Ball said. “He was the guy who created the TV sitcom ‘The Partridge Family.’” 

This is the first time Ball will direct “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

Ball said that the play is an adaptation by Douglas Rand of the film’s screenplay, so it won’t be an exact replica of the film. 

“Do we want to replicate the film? The answer is of course no, but you do want to get the best actor available for the roles you put them in,” Ball said. “And I think we did that.”

The Stage Coach Players already have a lot of the seats sold out in the opening weekend, via The Stage Coach Player’s choose a seat option on their website.  

“‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ is the kind of story that can change the saddest of moods into the most inspiring,” Ball said. “Although very familiar to the film, to see our production on stage will be a different experience.”

The price of the show ranges from $13 to $15, depending upon the seating choice. The tickets are sold via Stage Coach Player’s website: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/29105/1575176400000