WUKY Radio Program 'Last Minute Gifts' to Feature Holiday Stories, Kentucky Writers
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 16, 2021) — A local theatre company and University of Kentucky’s public radio station is presenting the Commonwealth with a “last minute” holiday gift.
Now you can get into the spirit of the season by listening to some of Kentucky’s favorite voices.
AthensWest Theatre Company is partnering with WUKY for a special production, “Last Minute Gifts” — a collection of original holiday stories told by five prominent writers. The program will feature Silas House, Bo List, Vivian Snipes, Frank X Walker and Caitlin Waltermire.
There are two opportunities to listen. All you have to do is tune into 91.3 at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, and 6 p.m. Christmas Day (Saturday), Dec. 25.
According to the program description, “Last Minute Gifts” hopes to bring the community together and show the many ways our similarities outweigh our differences.
“I grew up in a house without a television, so radio drama made quite an impression on my young pre-artist life,” Walker, director of the MFA program in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, said. “I think the five incredible stories that listeners will experience will be very different, but a fair reflection of the diversity in belief and experience that we say we value and respect, especially during the holidays.”
Earlier this year, AthensWest and WUKY partnered on the original radio play, “Limestone: 1833” — the story of an unlikely friendship between William “King” Solomon, the town drunk, and “Aunt” Charlotte, the formerly enslaved pie-seller.
As AthensWest prepares for an in-person return to the theatre, they want to thank everyone who has supported the arts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“WUKY has been a great partner in making sure all audiences can enjoy theatre from the safety and well-being of their homes, and the playwrights we've gathered to tell new stories represent some of the most exciting, dramatic voices Kentucky has to offer,” Bo List, artistic director of AthensWest, said. “This is a 'last minute gift' for our audiences and for everyone who loves theatre and public radio.”
“WUKY is thrilled to once again partner with AthensWest on another exciting radio drama,” Tom Godell, WUKY general manager, added. “This project not only provides top-notch entertainment to Central Kentucky but promotes the extreme talent found right here in our community, from the playwrights that have written these phenomenal pieces to the actors that tell their stories.”
You can learn more about the production on AthensWest’s website.
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