Middle School Theatre Presents “War of the Worlds” Radio Play

Martians have landed in a field in New Jersey and are bent on destroying humanity! Will we survive the alien invasion? To find out, tune in for Middle School Theatre’s take on Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic “War of the Worlds,” which caused widespread panic among listeners, who thought it was a real news broadcast.
 
After months of rehearsals and technical wizardry, Middle School Theatre is pleased to present an original dramatized radio broadcast of Wells' story of aliens invading America. Jeremy Sweetlamb, director of Middle School Theatre, and his cast and crew have crafted a delightful rendition of the event for our school community.
 
“I wanted to do this radio play this year for a host of reasons,” Sweetlamb explained. “Because of the limits placed on us by COVID-19, it seemed natural to do a recording that could be enjoyed by people on their own time, in their own space.
 
“I also picked this particular show because of the history surrounding it,” he added. “Some say Orson Welles' initial broadcast was an early indicator of the power of news media and how much people will believe something based on the reputation of the speaker.”
 
After the actors auditioned and were assigned roles last November, all the dialogue was recorded in pieces across the span of a week. Sweetlamb and two members of the technical crew, 8th graders Lainey Leslie and Joshua Natinsky, then spent several months pasting the recordings together and adding sound effects. The results are both exhilarating and fun!
 
The radio play cast included Lizzie Ahlgren, Nora Caselli, Rebecca Cole, Sebi Creixell, Sofia Dunkerly, Annie Ehrlich, Athena Eugene, Eleanor Evarts, Lauren Geller, Jadyn Houston, Kris Jaiswal, Hanniyah Khan, Lainey Leslie, Mariana Losada-Sanchez, Andrew Matzen, Libby Miller, Lila Saur and Scarlett Ratcliff. The crew was composed of Lainey Leslie, Cindy Maroney, Raleigh Munyon, Joshua Natinsky, Lila Saur, Ellie Thome and Charlsie Yarger.
 
Please follow this private Soundcloud link to enjoy “War of the Worlds” on any internet-capable device.
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