Welcome to what will now be an annual event, our rebroadcast of the 1938 Mercury Theater production of A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas Carol (1938) — The Mercury Theatre, Orson Welles, and the Enduring Power of Radio Drama

When the Mercury Theatre on the Air presented its 1938 adaptation of A Christmas Carol, listeners expected to hear Lionel Barrymore, whose portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge had become a beloved annual tradition. But when Barrymore fell ill shortly before the broadcast, a remarkable thing happened: Orson Welles, only twenty-three years old, stepped into the role. Already known as a bold experimenter in radio, Welles not only narrated the production but also assumed Scrooge’s voice with an authority far beyond his years.

What emerged was not merely a holiday episode but a defining moment in radio history.

In 1938, America was still wrestling with the emotional and economic wounds of the Great Depression. Dickens’s tale of greed, poverty, and redemption resonated deeply with audiences who understood hardship firsthand. Welles and the Mercury troupe embraced that resonance. Their production is lean, atmospheric, and psychologically driven—focused less on Victorian ornament and more on the internal transformation of Scrooge.

The sound design, an innovative hallmark of the Mercury Theatre, layered music, voice, and environmental effects to create vivid auditory landscapes. The result is a story experienced not just as narration, but as an immersive journey. Welles’s interpretation of Scrooge—more intense, more introspective than the jovial Barrymore tradition—reveals a young artist already exploring the depths of character and the possibilities of sound to shape emotion.

Why It Still Matters Today

The themes that animated Dickens and captivated both Barrymore and Welles continue to speak to us. Economic precarity, social fragmentation, and moral exhaustion mark our historical moment just as they did the late 1930s. Yet A Christmas Carol insists on the radical idea that individuals and societies can still choose generosity, empathy, and transformation.

There is also something profoundly meaningful in the way Welles stepped in for Barrymore. The continuity of tradition—handed off, adapted, and preserved by new voices—mirrors the evolution of storytelling itself. Every generation inherits the tale, but every storyteller reimagines it in the shape of their own time.

An Annual Tradition of Artistic Stewardship

By making this rebroadcast a yearly tradition on Creating Dangerously, you join Welles in the act of keeping public storytelling alive. You revive not only a classic performance but a shared cultural ritual: gathering listeners to experience a story that has bound generations together in reflection and hope.

In honoring both Barrymore’s legacy and Welles’s youthful audacity, this annual event becomes more than nostalgia. It becomes a statement. It says that art survives because artists—across decades, mediums, and personal histories—continue to pass the flame.

And in that continuity, A Christmas Carol remains what it has always been: a reminder that even in difficult times, redemption is possible and kindness revolutionary.

Join us on this Halloween as we discuss all things Body Horror! And by that we mean movies about horrific things that happen to the human body, not about the horrors of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Bodies of Government,

And, most importantly, we bid farewell to one of our cohosts, Andrea Wolanin who moves on to bigger and better things. We are truly grateful for her time and commitment to the Shawna Foundation and helping with our podcast and we look forward to having her on as a guest when we can discuss the cool new projects she is up to. Thank you Andrea.

Earlier this year the New York Times published a list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. Compiled by, as they state:



“More than 500 influential directors, actors and other notable names in Hollywood and around the world voted on the best films released since Jan. 1, 2000. Here is how their ballots stacked up."

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/best-movies-21st-century.html


They also let the readers select their favorites as well. Which was suspiciously similar to the list of the notables.



https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/readers-movies-21st-century.html



So we decided to look elsewhere. We found a list on the Guardian which was a little different. It stopped at 2019 so it’s wasn’t as complete as the NYT. But still a great reference point.



https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/13/100-best-films-movies-of-the-21st-century



Join Patrick Bracken, Andrea Wolanin and Skip Shea for a fun and irreverent discussion as they go through the lists - eventually - and listen to their thoughts on these lists. And lists in general.

The Shawna Foundation and the Creating Dangerously Podcast presents the New Classics Audio Play Series, where we reframe timeless stories through a modern lens.

Our first episode is an adaptation of The Illuminati in Drama Libre, a short, audacious one-act by Alice Gerstenberg, a pioneering American feminist playwright of the early twentieth century.

Alice Gerstenberg (1885–1972) was a bold and inventive voice in American theater, best known for experimenting with form and for her commitment to women’s voices on stage. Written in 1914, The Illuminati in Drama Libre is a sharp, satirical play that challenges authority, censorship, and the gatekeepers of art.

Gerstenberg was writing during a time of immense change—the women’s suffrage movement, social upheaval, and radical shifts in art and culture. Her play pokes fun at institutions that tried to silence creativity and limit who could tell stories, echoing the struggles of women and artists of her era.

Today, more than a century later, the questions she raised still feel urgent. Who controls art?Whose stories are told? How do power and censorship shape what audiences get to see and hear? The Illuminati in Drama Libre reminds us that theater can be both playful and political, a place to laugh while also questioning the world around us.

We revisit Gerstenberg’s work not only to honor a pioneering feminist playwright, but also to show how her spirit of defiance and experimentation continues to inspire.


Join host Gregory Velez and cast Emma McKenzie and Patrick Bracken for our adaptation.

Join Patrick Bracken as he interviews three filmmakers where they discuss their feature length films that are either fully or partially animated. It’s a fascinating discussion about this unique way of storytelling.

All three films will screen at the Shawna Shea Film Festival. For full schedule and ticket info go here: https://www.shawnafoundation.org/ssff-film-festival

Inbetweening by Mel House

Screens July 18th, 5PM at Studio 50 at WICN in Worcester

Eric Linson is a struggling multiracial filmmaker with a few credits to his name and absolutely nothing to show for it. Inbetweening follows his journey trying to remain afloat and healthy in the liminal space between projects...while the voices in his head steadily become louder. Some are helpful, but most aren't...especially the Zombie Guy.

Fortunately, the lead singer of Eric's favorite band (Angelo Moore, from the legendary Fishbone, playing himself) is on Eric's side. Inbetweening melds live action, animation, puppets, and even a musical number to reveal Eric's increasingly fractured journey.

Inbetweening on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/100036097/inbetweening

For more info on Filmmaker Mel House: http://upstartfilmworks.weebly.com/

I'd Rather Be Turned Into Cat Food by Walter Santucci

Screens July 18th, 5PM at the Hilton Garden Inn in Worcester

Starring the voices of punk rock legends Jack Grisham and Keith Morris, "I’d Rather Be Turned Into Cat Food" is an independent feature film that explores existential philosophy via hand drawn animation and live action puppetry. Funny and tragic, it's a strange confluence of "My Dinner With Andre", "Sid and Nancy" and "Sesame Street".

More Info at: https://www.evilcatland.com/cat-food

Autistic Mode by Bob Clark, Nix Busby, Charles Moss, Malcolm Thomas, Gabrielle Teaford

Screens July 19th, Noon at Studio 50 at WICN in Worcester

"Autistic Mode" is an anthology film of animatic films written and directed by a team of autistic animators.

The films include--

"Dreamcatchers"-- by Bob Clark, a feature length sci-fi detective story about psychic agents who investigate Nightmare infections in the landscape of the mind

"Hardmode"-- by Nix Busby, a JRPG inspired adventure following a gamer discovering their own Neurodivergent learning curve.

"Honeyjack"-- by Charles Moss, a Hanna-Barbera inspired musical romp about an oddball honey bear and a misfit girl scout.

"Tooned Up"-- by Malcolm Thomas, a jacked up slapstick cartoon following a Tex Avery obsessed kid in a world that just doesn't get him.

"Canvas"-- by Gabrielle Teaford, an autobiographical music video about a girl growing up with loss and art.

Follow Bob Clark at: https://www.instagram.com/neowestchester/

For more info on Autistic Mode go to: https://linktr.ee/autisticmode

Join Patrick Bracken as he interviews Chelsea Stone who directed the documentary Miss Fury and the Lost Legacy of Tarpé Mills and Rachel van der Bie who directed the documentary Love Me Bait Me.

Both screen at the Shawna Shea Film Festival on July 17th at Studio 50 at WICN, Studio 50 at WICN 50 Portland St, Worcester, MA.

Miss Fury and the Lost Legacy of Tarpé Mills by Chelsea Stone

“Miss Fury and the Lost Legacy of Tarpé Mills” is a documentary that explores the rise to success and fall into obscurity of June Tarpé Mills, the first woman to write, draw, and create a female superhero: Miss Fury.

For more information follow Chelsea Stone here:

https://www.facebook.com/mschelseastone

https://www.instagram.com/missfurytarpemills/

Love Me Bait Me by Rachel van der Bie

This feature documentary explores the historical relationship between Hollywood, television, and the authentic portrayal of diverse LGBTQ+ experiences over the course of more than a century.

Interviews and archival footage provide a constructive critique of the U.S. film industry that emphasizes the life-saving role storytelling plays in our collective imagination for a better future.

For more information follow Rachel van der Bie here:

https://lovemebaitmefilm.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@lovemebaitmefilm

https://www.instagram.com/lovemebaitmedoc

https://www.facebook.com/LoveMeBaitMeDoc

For the full schedule of the Shawna Shea Film Festival go here:

https://www.shawnafoundation.org/ssff-film-festival

Tickets for the Shawna Shea film Festival can be purchased here: https://filmfreeway.com/TheShawnaSheaFilmFestival/tickets

Join us as we explore the role of artists in the face of fascism and how it can shape the narrative. What's an artist to do?

Links to show notes.

Kendrick Lamar Halftime


https://youtu.be/KDorKy-13ak?si=o84t6J0WE3vGwXpV



Shepard Fairey


https://obeygiant.com/



Banksy


https://www.banksy.co.uk/



Keith Haring


https://www.haring.com/



Philosophy Now


https://philosophynow.org/



Lost Cause


https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/lost-cause-the/



January 6th Choir


https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea



Rebecca Watson


https://skepchick.org/author/rebecca/

Join Andrea Wolanin as she interviews award winning filmmaker Susan Seidelman of such films as Smithereens, Desperately Seeking Susan & Musical Chairs.

They will discuss her new book Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls and her life in the world of cinema and all of its challenges.

Especially for women.