VANCOUVER, Wash. A live performance of the radio dramas R.U.R. and "The Fall of the City" will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Kiggins Theatre. The event is free and open to the public.
The combined shows will be performed by the Willamette Radio Workshop, directed by Sam A. Mowry, as part of the Re-Imagined Radio project produced by John Barber, faculty member in Washington State University Vancouvers Creative Media and Digital Culture Program.
"These are two classic radio dramas, although little known, Barber said. It's exciting to re-create them for our audience. It's also an interesting challenge to combine two radio dramas into one. We invite everyone to join us for the result.
R.U.R. is based on the 1921 stage play by Czechoslovakian writer Karel Capek. The futuristic plot revolves around Rossums Universal Robots, a company that manufactures lifelike artificial people. The original Czech refers to these people as Roboti, but in the English version they are known as Robots (this is the origin of the word robot). When the Robots are given feelings, conflict follows.
"The Fall of the City," written by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, writer and Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish and first performed in 1937, was the first American verse play for radio. The original radio performance set a new standard for the artistic potential of radio broadcasting in terms of both stylistic innovation and social power. The plot centers on a radio announcer reporting from the plaza of a nameless city, where a crowd awaits the appearance of an unknown conqueror.
Each of Barbers Re-Imagined Radio productions begins with a live re-creation of a historic radio drama complete with voice actors and Foley sound artists. Digital and multimedia components are added to increase opportunities for audience engagement with the narrative.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions, beer and wine will be available for purchase. The Kiggins Theatre is located at 1011 Main Street, Vancouver, Wash.
About 91勛圖窪蹋厙
As an urban campus of the Washington State University system, 91勛圖窪蹋厙 offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university offers affordable baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities of Southwest Washington. As the only four-year research university in this corner of the state, 91勛圖窪蹋厙 helps drive economic growth in Southwest Washington through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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MEDIA CONTACT(S)
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu