Seventy-five years ago Wednesday, the United States was drawn into World War II when Japan attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor.

More than 2,400 Americans were killed, shocking citizens and leading thousands to sign up for the war effort. While Pearl Harbor Day is still commemorated three quarters of a century later, many forget the impact the attack had on the other big December holiday — Christmas.

That’s where “A Pearl Harbor Christmas,” the latest production from Redmond High School’s drama department, comes in. The show, which starts Thursday, depicts a fictional Christmas radio play that took place in December 1941, shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked.

The play is a Redmond version of “1941 Christmas from Home,” which was the first in a five-part series about Christmas during World War II. First-year Redmond High theater teacher Pat Kruis Tellinghusen wrote the series, the first show of which debuted in 1999 for the Tapestry Theatre Company in Portland. The company showed the 1942-1945 productions in subsequent years.

Since then, the Christmas play series has been picked up by Portland-based Ralph Radio Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre and schools across the country. So Tellinghusen jumped at the chance to bring it to “Flag City USA.”

“I decided that this would be perfect for this community, because this is a community with strong support for veterans,” Tellinghusen said of Redmond. “Because this is the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I thought it would be a really, really great opportunity to show that moment to kids.”

To thank those who served, veterans will be admitted free to “A Pearl Harbor Christmas.” Admission is $10 for nonveteran adults and $5 for students and seniors. It will show at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, as well as Dec. 15 and 16. It will also have a 2 p.m. matinée Saturday.

Tellinghusen has been getting the word out to veterans about the play. She hopes it will start a valuable relationship between veterans and students.

“I want to prompt the veterans to tell their stories to the kids, and I want to promote a curiosity in the kids,” she said.

The play differs from what students often present. Instead of interacting directly with each other, actors are stationed at 1940s-style microphones, which they speak into for the “broadcast” on fictional KRHS radio. While some actors leave the stage for wardrobe changes, others sit behind those currently performing while they wait to speak.

Also integral to the production are members of Redmond High’s jazz band, who sit on stage and play musical numbers of both the holiday variety like “Jingle Bells” and wartime classics like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Radio play host Alfred Bell, played by sophomore Jackson Dean, refers to the ensemble as “Ben Lawson’s Pretty Big Band, the little combo with the big band sound.”

The band is named for Redmond’s music teacher, one of several adaptations, including the radio station name, that Tellinghusen made for its Redmond setting. The play also features a waitress at the Redmond Diner and even a Spokesman reporter.

The audience is also brought into the play. Attendees are asked to say “Merry Christmas” when prompted, and cast members head into the aisles to dance with playgoers at one point.

The set is a change from a typical high school play, where changes are made several times, said senior Emma Gradilla, who works on the sets.

“On other plays, you have to be more active during the performance, on this one you are more active before the performance,” she said. “The whole feel of it is very different. This is more immersive.”

The play features segments on several aspects of life during wartime, from a couple getting married before the man heads into the service to another man going through his military physical, after which he learns he is classified 4F. While he is disappointed he won’t be able to join the military, he quickly learns he can serve the war effort as a shipbuilder.

“A Pearl Harbor Christmas” provides challenges for the actors. Senior Jordan Holmes plays an actress who performs multiple characters in the radio play.

“This is different than all the past plays that we’ve done,” she said. “Having to make them all different and interesting people is probably the hardest part.”

The play also had the challenge of a leading man who joined the production midway though. Junior Joshua Mireles, who plays enlistee Jack Warren, took over in his first-ever play after the previous Jack had to leave because of a job.

Mireles said he worked twice as hard to catch up.

The play shows both the lighter and more serious moments of the time, Mireles said.

“Pearl Harbor was such an awful moment in our history,” he said. “Everybody was looking for hope, and Christmas was such a huge part of that.”

With the limited number of plays the school puts on each year, Tellinghusen said she doesn’t have plans to bring the 1942-1945 Christmas plays to Redmond, unless the community appears to demand it. But Redmond High will again present a play from the World War II era with “The Diary of Anne Frank” on May 11-13 and 18-20.

The Christmas play has shown to have particular meaning for people who lived through World War II, Tellinghusen said. It has been known to jog memories long thought forgotten.

“I have seen people from that era come out just misty-eyed and smiling,” she said. “They were so supportive, and I want the students to feel that support.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com