RADIO NOIR: Uncorking Old Time Radio Plays At Ravine Vineyards

RADIO NOIR: Uncorking Old Time Radio Plays At Ravine Vineyards

By David DeRocco

Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery is known for producing a variety of fine vintage wines. With its RADIO NOIR series, however, the winery has branched out into production of the fine vintage radio show variety.

RADIO NOIR is a series of adapted recreations of suspense-filled radio shows that transport a live audience back to radio’s 1930s and ‘40s heyday. Each performance is conducted in the exact fashion used to produce old radio shows that were hugely popular in the medium’s “Golden Age,” when radio was the primary form of broadcast entertainment and drama series were all the rage.

“It’s something we started a few years back when I worked at Trius,” explained Adele Shennan, retail manager at Ravine who, along with long time CBC radio producer Barbara Worthy, launched the original winery series. “When I moved to Ravine we brought the production here.”

The live productions are staged in Ravine Winery’s barrel cellar, which provides the perfect ambience for such suspenseful fair. What ensues is a live telling of each night’s scheduled radio show, featuring voice actors, a pianist to accent the suspense and a traditional “foley artist” on stage producing all the sound effects.

“We usually have about 68 people in the barrel cellar,” said Shennan. “Tickets include general seating, a glass of wine and a plate of snacks made up by our chefs. We have another gentleman on staff who greets everyone in tails. It’s quite intriguing and it starts the night off on the right note.”

Upcoming events include the November 15th performance of Double Indemnity, based on the classic novel by James M Cain, a November 29th performance of Dashiell Hammett’s After The Thin Man, and a holiday double bill December 14th featuring A Fibber McGee and Molly Christmas along with Master Detective Nick Carter’s Christmas Adventure. Each play will be animated by Shaw Festival alumni, while Allan Teichmann serves as foley artist.

Shennan says the average age of the audience usually ranges from 40 to 75, which makes sense given the nostalgic early 20th-century style of the production. But despite the wealth of slickly produced entertainment becoming readily available at Niagara wineries, Shennan says she’s happy that Ravine is home to RADIO NOIR events.

“I just don’t want to see this form of entertainment die. I really love it. It’s a passion of mine and that’s why I’m trying to keep it alive.”

For more details visit: https://ravinevineyard.com/