The War of the Worlds - Historic Radio Drama for Student Theatre

In the 1930's the radio was a comforting friend in troubling times. Families would gather around the radio for an escape from the misery of the Great Depression. They tuned in to baseball and football games. They listened to heroes like Superman, the Lone Ranger, and Captain Midnight. They shared a laugh with Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Fred Allen. They enjoyed the occasional chill from Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, and The Shadow.

Radio listeners tuned in for news of economic recovery. They listened with concern as the Nazi party rose to power in Europe. They took comfort in FDR's fireside chats. Radio was a friend, a beacon of hope, a voice they could trust.

That trust was forever shattered on October 30, 1938.

The Mercury Radio Theatre was still a fairly new program, and its enigmatic leader still largely unknown, despite his dual role as Lamont Cranston and The Shadow. Not many people heard or heeded the opening of the evening's broadcast, so when the news reports began describing small explosions on the planet Mars, the landing of a meteorite in Grover's Mill, New Jersey, and the appearance of hideous Martians with their death rays, America went into a panic.

Few radio programs have left the impact that "The War of the Worlds" had on its time. People abandoned their homes and fled in fear of the fictitious Martian warships. Some even took their own lives. CBS found itself subject to hundreds of lawsuits. And Orson Welles, a distant descendant of the story's original author H.G. Wells, became a legend.

The original "War" broadcast is still a terrifyingly realistic radio drama. Welles and company employed a script that combined dramatic dialogue, eery sound effects, and dozens of little touches that made it sound so real. The show has inspired many parodies and references over the years including a Simpsons episode and the movie Buckaroo Banzai.

But "War" is far more than a radio drama with artistic merit. It changed the rules as far as the media is concerned. People believed it to be real because they had never been given a reason to doubt. If it was on the radio, it had to be true. After "War", everything was suspect. "War" paved the way for deceptive marketing, the kind of charade that made The Blair Witch Project (a film originally promoted as a real-life documentart) a smash hit. What's more, it left a lingering suspicion of all things media that has only grown with time.

"The War of the Worlds" is a challenge for any age cast, and a very fun piece of drama. More than that, it's a discussion starter for examining the power of the media and how it impacts our lives. As Christians, we are taught to examine everything, and not to accept anyone's word until it has been help up to the light of God's truth. "The War of the Worlds" is a cautionary tale about what happens when we give ourselves over to a human authority, be it in school, the media, politics, or even the church.

"The War of the Worlds" is a radio drama, not a stage drama. Many student and professional groups have performed the show as a staged, dramatic reading. This means actors may (if you and the decide) have scripts on stage. Although they will not be physically acting in a space, the show is no less demanding. Students will find quite a challenge in conveying the drama and emotion of the story by relying solely on their voices. Add a set made to look like an old-fashioned radio studio, some antique microphones, a live sound effects crew on stage, and some period costumes, and you can create a truly unique theatrical experience.

The script from "The War of the Worlds" is available online. You can also get the script and recordings of the radio drama from Amazon.

Performance rights are owned by the widow of script writer Howard Koch and administered by the law firm of Slaff, Mosk, and Rudman. Queries can be sent to Norman Rudman at nrudman@mcn.org