WHAT IS A “LIVE RADIO PLAY?”

The basic premise is that the actors you see on stage are “radio actors” who portray the characters using their voice and facial expressions.

It is similar to a staged reading where the actors have the scripts in front of them, for reference, but still deliver fully nuanced performances. They stand at podiums in front of microphones, rather than moving around on a set.

They dress in costumes to represent each character. When an actor is playing more than one character, they will make slight changes to their appearance (in addition to altering their voice and physicality) to indicate the new persona. This can be as simple as removing glasses, switching coats, or donning a hat.

We also have a foley artist who creates live sound effects right before your eyes. He will turn household objects like bubble wrap, cellophane, breakfast cereal, and shoes into roaring fires, footsteps in the snow, and dancing feet. While these shows are not actually recorded or broadcast over the radio waves, audience members watching and listening to the show are transported to a time when the whole family would gather around the radio to catch their favorite program and go on the next grand adventure.

The minimal staging suggests enough of the environment and tone to set a spark to fully realize the action in your imagination.