2:29 p.m., Dec. 21, 2010----University of Delaware alumni from the Department of Theatre and the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) gathered once again to broadcast a live radio drama of one of the most celebrated stories for the holidays.

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On Monday night, Dec. 20, the studios of WVUD-FM 91.3, the voice of the University of Delaware, became host for the 7th annual live radio broadcast of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

"We began this tradition in 2004," says co-producer and UD alumna Sara Valentine, who received a master of fine arts degree in 2007. "I had just started graduate school here at the UD Professional Theatre Training Program, and I said to my husband, Michael Boudewyns (who is a also a graduate of the PTTP, having received the master of fine arts degree in 1992, and co-producer of the event), 'Wouldn't it be fun to present a radio play adaptation of A Christmas Carol?' We both love radio theatre, and classic stories, and thought it would be a fun presentation to put together for the holidays. I enlisted some of my classmates, and Michael proposed the project to WVUD, and a few weeks later, there were five of us in the basement of the radio station airing a live radio play."

The program has seen several incarnations since that first broadcast, having been performed on stage with a live radio audience at the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington, and the Hartshorn Theatre on the UD campus, as well as being recorded with a live audience for rebroadcasts.

"We've had people tuning in, and coming to be a part of the live audience several years in a row. From the start, we were hoping it would be a tradition that audiences would look forward to," says Valentine.

"We've been lucky to create this amazing partnership with WVUD. The management at the station has been incredibly supportive, and the station engineer, Dave Mackenzie, has been instrumental in making each broadcast a success. He made it possible for us to do the broadcast from a remote location and expand our idea of a live broadcast to include a live radio audience," says Boudewyns. "We returned to our roots this year -- but we're hoping to present it again next year with a live audience for the 8th annual broadcast."

"One of the most special things for me in producing this event is to work with the same people each year," says Valentine. "The holidays are about tradition, and gathering the same actors each year, and meeting with the folks at WVUD for rehearsal, and getting ready for the broadcast is really inspiring. We're all there because we love the story, and love being able to share it with the community. And thanks to the Internet, we've had family and friends tuning in to hear it live from all over the country."

This year's cast included PTTP alumni Steve Tague as the narrator, Mic Matarrese as Jacob Marley, and Gisela Chipe as Belle and Martha Cratchit, along with Michael Boudewyns as Bob Cratchit and Sara Valentine, who in addition to reading a few parts also coordinates the live sound effects.

It's not too late to hear the 7th annual broadcast. WVUD has a free podcast, as well as a schedule of rebroadcast dates on the radio station website.

Sara Valentine and Michael Boudewyns are also the producers of ReallyInventiveRadio.com, creating radio play scripts adapted from classic books and stories. They're already looking at the calendar for next year's 8th annual live radio broadcast of A Christmas Carol.