Avatar Repertory Theater will present the famous Orson Welles radio adaptation of War of the Worlds Friday, November 1st in a single performance,
live from their theater on Cookie in Second Life (c) by special permission from
the Estate of Howard Koch, primary writer of the 1938 radio script. The performance features Kayden Oconnell,
Corwyn Allen, MadameThespian
Underhill, Ada Radius,
Avajean Westland, Sodovan Torak, Em Jannings, Thundergass Menges, with
Caledonia Skytower.
75 years ago, on October 30th 1938, Orson Welles and the
Mercury Radio Theater made broadcast history with an adaptation of H.G. Wells' 19th Century science fiction novel War of the Worlds that did not go quite as expected. The legendary panic that may, or may not, have
resulted from the radio drama is still debated today. What we do know is that it was a reflection
of a time, as the Nazis and Japanese marched the world towards imminent war,
that was rife with “Fear, anxiety, and foreboding of the future.”
That the Mercury Radio Theater ended up with such a huge number of listeners that night in 1938 was a sort of invasion story itself. The program was not really that popular. It was up against Edgar Bergen's incredibly popular show on a different station, and remarkably the scheduling of some less than popular music on Bergen's show sent people "dial surfing" for something else to listen to. So many people tuned in to the CBS broadcast after it had begun, and became immediately immersed in the world of the story as if it were a news broadcast in progress. It is thought that one in twelve people listening thought the broadcast was real, though conjecture on this continues even 75 years later.
Today, we relate to that audience in 1938 because of our own experiences in recent times. Think of the incredible disbelief of September 11, 2001, and to a much lesser extent the death of Princess Diana of Wales in August 1997. These events grabbed popular awareness and held it in a firm grip. We were glued to our televisions with an incredible dread. It just couldn't be true! Except it was true.
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| The fictional Landing Site Memorial in Grover's Mill, NJ |
Friday's presentation will include dynamic effects, so residents
are asked to minimize wearable scripted items, excessively primmy clothes/hair,
and to take off huds and meters to provide a more enjoyable experience for the
entire audience. Don't make them send
the Martians after you!
Presented live in Voice, free to all residents.
Interested in more information on the 75th Anniversary of the famous Mercury Radio Theater War of the Worlds broadcast? Check out these links.
Radiolab Season 4, Episode 3
On PBS American Experience - War of the Worlds airing Tuesday, October 29th at most PBS stations.
Learn more about Avatar Repertory Theater in Second Life
~ Caledonia Skytower, Reporting
" Any ink is good ink, even if it is virtual"
Great article -- thanks!
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