Radio theater premiers at college
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, April 20, 2007
The old 44- x 48-foot machine shop on the Western Iowa Tech campus has been transformed into a performing arts area that will premiere its first performance next week.
"An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre" will be presented in the new black box theater, featuring WIT faculty, students and community members. The event will present three classic radio pieces by a dozen performers.
A radio presentation, with the actors in front of live microphones reading from scripts, was chosen over a more traditional play or musical, explained Ralph Swain, WIT department chairman for humanities.
"The reason we went with the radio approach was the success of last year's 'War of the Worlds' event at the Orpheum Theatre that WIT spearheaded," he said. "People told us how they would love to see more of that type of presentation."
Swain co-produced that event and WIT instructor Paul Guggenheimer directed the Oct. 28 show.
"I had the idea years ago to do such a show and when I mentioned it to Ralph, he not only supported the idea but was able to secure a Humanities Iowa grant for it," Guggenheimer recalled. "People just went nuts for it after it was presented, and even people who heard it broadcast later on the radio wanted more."
With that success in hand and no one else doing live radio theater, Swain and Guggenheimer decided to reprise their producer and director roles and went forth to put together another show. They believed so strongly in the format, that the two of them, with Tom Jones and Russ Gifford, recently formed the Great Plains Radio Theatre Project.
The newly-established Iowa nonprofit corporation was organized exclusively for literacy and educational purposes to help foster, encourage and promote an understanding of the history of early radio entertainment broadcasting. The group is in the process of constructing a Web site at www.greatplainsradio.org.
The three presentations for the WIT black box premier are "The Hitchhiker" and "Sorry, Wrong Number!" both by Lucille Fletcher and "Quiet, Please!" by Wyllis Cooper.
"A lot of people are in for the nostalgia of these radio productions, but there's a lot of powerful theater in each of these scripts," Guggenheimer insisted. "Fletcher and Cooper were both prolific writers who continued with their careers in Hollywood after the heyday of radio."
Fletcher's "The Hitchhiker" starred a young Orson Welles in a Twilight Zone approach to a man on a cross-country trip who repeatedly runs into an individual thumbing for a ride.
"Sorry, Wrong Number!" may ring bells with movie buffs. Although Agnes Moorehead read for the radio show, Barbara Stanwyck took over the part in the 1948 movie and earned an Academy Award nomination.
Airing from 1947 to 1949, "Quiet, Please!" was a series presented by the Mutual Broadcasting System until it moved to ABC Radio. This installment is the final episode, a science fiction look about people on another planet wondering how to best coexist with others in the universe.
In addition to Swain, Guggenheimer and Jones, the cast for the evening includes Andrea Conrad, Hedda Dekker, Eddie Dunn, Lenny Koupal, Kelly Meyers, Kathy Pfautsch, Dorene Titus, Nolley Vereen and Lindsay Washburn. Brian Ross serves as the sound effects technician.
WIT had provided drama and acting classes over the years for students, but never offered performances for the community. Last year's who-done-it, "Murder, She Met," was the first attempt at bringing in an audience for a theatrical event in a large classroom.
"An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre" will be presented at 7:30 p.m., April 26, at the black box theater, Room D210 on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College.
A dinner precedes the event at 6 p.m. in Room B138 on WIT campus. Dinner tickets are $15 each which includes the show. Show-only tickets are $5 each. Seating is limited and there are no reservations. Tickets are available at the WIT bookstore or Permanent Solutions, 1957 S. St. Aubin. For more information, call 274-8733, ext. 1274.
"An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre" will be presented in the new black box theater, featuring WIT faculty, students and community members. The event will present three classic radio pieces by a dozen performers.
A radio presentation, with the actors in front of live microphones reading from scripts, was chosen over a more traditional play or musical, explained Ralph Swain, WIT department chairman for humanities.
"The reason we went with the radio approach was the success of last year's 'War of the Worlds' event at the Orpheum Theatre that WIT spearheaded," he said. "People told us how they would love to see more of that type of presentation."
Swain co-produced that event and WIT instructor Paul Guggenheimer directed the Oct. 28 show.
"I had the idea years ago to do such a show and when I mentioned it to Ralph, he not only supported the idea but was able to secure a Humanities Iowa grant for it," Guggenheimer recalled. "People just went nuts for it after it was presented, and even people who heard it broadcast later on the radio wanted more."
With that success in hand and no one else doing live radio theater, Swain and Guggenheimer decided to reprise their producer and director roles and went forth to put together another show. They believed so strongly in the format, that the two of them, with Tom Jones and Russ Gifford, recently formed the Great Plains Radio Theatre Project.
The newly-established Iowa nonprofit corporation was organized exclusively for literacy and educational purposes to help foster, encourage and promote an understanding of the history of early radio entertainment broadcasting. The group is in the process of constructing a Web site at www.greatplainsradio.org.
The three presentations for the WIT black box premier are "The Hitchhiker" and "Sorry, Wrong Number!" both by Lucille Fletcher and "Quiet, Please!" by Wyllis Cooper.
"A lot of people are in for the nostalgia of these radio productions, but there's a lot of powerful theater in each of these scripts," Guggenheimer insisted. "Fletcher and Cooper were both prolific writers who continued with their careers in Hollywood after the heyday of radio."
Fletcher's "The Hitchhiker" starred a young Orson Welles in a Twilight Zone approach to a man on a cross-country trip who repeatedly runs into an individual thumbing for a ride.
"Sorry, Wrong Number!" may ring bells with movie buffs. Although Agnes Moorehead read for the radio show, Barbara Stanwyck took over the part in the 1948 movie and earned an Academy Award nomination.
Airing from 1947 to 1949, "Quiet, Please!" was a series presented by the Mutual Broadcasting System until it moved to ABC Radio. This installment is the final episode, a science fiction look about people on another planet wondering how to best coexist with others in the universe.
In addition to Swain, Guggenheimer and Jones, the cast for the evening includes Andrea Conrad, Hedda Dekker, Eddie Dunn, Lenny Koupal, Kelly Meyers, Kathy Pfautsch, Dorene Titus, Nolley Vereen and Lindsay Washburn. Brian Ross serves as the sound effects technician.
WIT had provided drama and acting classes over the years for students, but never offered performances for the community. Last year's who-done-it, "Murder, She Met," was the first attempt at bringing in an audience for a theatrical event in a large classroom.
"An Evening of Radio Mystery Theatre" will be presented at 7:30 p.m., April 26, at the black box theater, Room D210 on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College.
A dinner precedes the event at 6 p.m. in Room B138 on WIT campus. Dinner tickets are $15 each which includes the show. Show-only tickets are $5 each. Seating is limited and there are no reservations. Tickets are available at the WIT bookstore or Permanent Solutions, 1957 S. St. Aubin. For more information, call 274-8733, ext. 1274.
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BC Grad wrote on Apr 20, 2007 3:29 PM:
E.W. Webster, Omaha Nation wrote on Apr 20, 2007 2:09 PM: