East Lynne Theater Company to Host Halloween Martian Costume Contest During WAR OF THE WORLDS

East Lynne Theater Company invites audience members to dress as extraterrestrials for a Martian CONtest on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, in conjunction with its current production of “War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast.” The festivities will take place at the Clemans Theater for the Arts at the Allen A.M.E. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes, and refreshments will be served.

The Halloween celebration gives theatergoers a chance to bring a little interplanetary imagination to their night at the theater. From classic “little green men” to out-of-this-world original alien creations, audience members are encouraged to have fun with their extraterrestrial attire.

“We'd love to make the Clemans Theater a Halloween tradition for local audiences and visitors alike,” says Mark David Boberick, the play's director and executive director of East Lynne Theater Co. “With 'War of the Worlds' onstage and Martians taking over our audience, we're inviting everyone to get into the spirit of the season.”

An extra-special tie-in takes place on Oct. 30, which marks the 88th anniversary of the original 1938 “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast directed by Orson Welles for the Mercury Theatre on the Air. Its fictional reports of a Martian invasion became one of radio's most famous moments, making the date a fitting occasion for East Lynne's costume celebration.

Adapted by Joe Landry from the H.G. Wells novel and inspired by the historic broadcast, “War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast” brings the story to the stage in the style of a 1930s radio program. “Exit Zero Magazine” calls the show, “a delightful and spectacular serving of nostalgia, fright, suspense,” while “Cape May Star and Wave” says that Director Mark David Boberick, “… raises the bar with imaginative staging, a talented cast and plenty of suspense.”