Interview: Wyatt Crow, Susan Gunther, Kaeden Porter, Kayla Chassels of WAR OF THE WORLDS: THE PANIC BROADCAST at Morrilton High School enjoys performing radio play

This weekend, Thespian Troupe 3131, under the direction of Heather Hooten, at Morrilton High School will recreate the dramatization of Orson Welles' reading of H.G. Wells' book THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Considered the first of its kind to imagine what the world would look like if aliens invaded Earth, this story supposedly terrified the radio listening public back in 1938 as they took it for actual news. WAR OF THE WORLDS: THE PANIC BROADCAST will take you through the reading and then show you the response from the people. Broadway World was on set to interview a few of the cast members about their experience with performing this radio play.

BWW: How is this different than a regular play?

Wyatt Crow: We don't have to memorize lines....yay!

Susan Gunther: We are making our own sound effects.

Kaeden Porter: There is a lot less digital audio involved.

BWW: Do you guys like performing this type of play?

Wyatt: I love it!

Susan: I feel like we are interacting more with the cast, like doing our own sound effects and stuff like that.

Kayla Chassels: ...and there is not much blocking, because it's a radio show, so they are mainly at microphones.

Wyatt: It's the best.

BWW: So what has been the most favorite part about this process?

Kaeden: I would say (meeting) all the new people that are in theatre now and getting to know everybody. That's kind of fun.

Susan: ...and the experience of doing it.

Wyatt: I think it's just a lot different from a traditional play, so we know we are all, kind of, experiencing it for the first time, (and) so that's really new and exciting to have that happen.

Kaeden: ...and it's also exciting to give somebody else like the audience a new experience.

Wyatt: Yeah, because I don't think we've done a radio play here (Morrilton High School), and so doing this I think is going to show how diverse and how wide the troupe 3131 can actually be with what we do.

BWW: What makes this play different than a normal stage play?

Wyatt: It's just so different from what we've done. Like there is so much that is different, like we are going to have people out in the audience talking to people. We will be selling stuff in the beginning, just different things like that. It's just going to be more lax, honestly, than most plays we've done.

BWW: Why should your friends come see this play?

Wyatt: We've put in a lot of work, though it's lax, we've put in a lot of work honestly. I think it has a lot of funny parts like genuinely, and it's a good ole fun time.

Due to theater renovations at HB White, WAR OF THE WORLDS: THE PANIC BROADCAST will be presented in the cafeteria at Morrilton High School Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday Oct. 24, 26 and 27, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

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