MARSHALL — Members of the Marshall Area Stage Company are going to bring something new for audiences this weekend, as cast and crew members present a live radio drama of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“It’s really a holiday classic,” director Paula Nemes said. Nemes and assistant director Maureen Keimig said it’s the first time MASC has performed “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The show features a big cast of characters, with 20 area residents providing voices.

MASC and KMHL Marshall Radio are partnering for the radio drama. Live performances will be Friday and Saturday at the Marshall-Lyon County Library, and a recording of the show will air on KMHL at a later date.

The radio version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” was adapted from the 1946 Frank Capra film. The story follows George Bailey, who with the help of his guardian angel, Clarence, learns the difference he’s made in the lives of people in his hometown.

Nemes said one of the exciting things about the show is that it brings together people from around the area. Cast members include residents from communities including Walnut Grove, Tracy, Wood Lake, Tyler and Edgerton, she said. Some cast members are also new to MASC. “It’s one of our bigger casts as well,” Nemes said.

Keimig said a radio drama is a unique kind of performance for cast members. “It’s a totally different form of acting,” she said. “In radio, everything you try and portray in your character is through your voice.”

And while the radio show doesn’t involve sets or costumes, the crew do provide live sound effects.

“People are always interested in the sound effects,” Nemes said. It can be fun for the audience to see the creative ways that the effects are produced.

In some ways, the live radio drama provides a look back at entertainment from a different era. Audience members of a certain age might remember listening to radio shows, Nemes said.

“We have a lot of people who come and just close their eyes and listen,” she said.

Nemes said a unique thing about performing “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a radio drama is that it also provides an opportunity to talk about mental health. While it might not be the thing people remember most from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” begins as George Bailey is thinking about suicide. Nemes said MASC hopes to be able to provide audience members with information about mental health resources.

Performances of “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, at the Marshall-Lyon County Library. A suggested donation of $5 per person will be accepted.